Once More With Commentary: A Buffy Podcast

We made it to the end! We chat all about the final two episodes of Angel, which thankfully was as good as we remember but also shows the strengths and flaws of the series as a whole. Let’s get to work.

What can we say? We are almost finished with Angel and unfortunately, these are the episodes we get for the antepenultimate run. Sigh. We tried to be generous, really, but we’re very over the Buffy of it all.

Lindsay’s back! Connor is back! This week, we talk through some tying up of loose ends and/or revisiting dropped plot lines, depending on how charitable you want to be. Lindsay gets rescued from a suburban hell dimension, Connor’s parents show up looking for help for their super-powered son, and Wesley learns the truth about Angel’s deal with Wolfram & Hart.

It's a tragic double header for Angel this week, as another woman on this show dies to birth a demon. Sigh.

It’s Smile Time! Yes, we finally got to watch the puppet episode! And it’s still pretty great! But we also watched “Why We Fight” which was less good. We talk about both episodes this week, with a little bit too much about the cuteness of puppets, maybe.

It’s almost an episode of Buffy:The Continuing Story this week when Andrew shows up in LA to bring in a newly discovered Potential, and deliver some unwelcome feedback to Angel and co. on their current status in the fight against evil. And then finally we get to “You’re Welcome” and honestly we’ve got some mixed reactions and post-Season 4 hangups about it.

It’s a day in the life of Harmony Kendall, young vampire just trying to make it on her own! This episode is delightful and we can’t get enough of the comedy, pain, and resourcefulness Angel’s assistant brings to Wolfram & Hart. We also watch “Soul Purpose” and have less to say about that.

Wesley’s father shows up at W&H, spinning Wesley backwards in his character arc and causing us to ask a lot of questions about Angel alternate histories. Then, Spike gets mail! He’s corporeal! He and Angle must fight it out over a magic cup! Nope, someone from the past is just pulling the strings.

It’s our Pudding Podcast! Well, we talk about it for 10 minutes anyway, but you can skip ahead to hear our thoughts on Lorne’s subconscious and Numero Cinco, a man without hope who might be able to show Angel how to care again.

This week, Angel encounters a werewolf supper club and the team asks why Wolfram & Hart doesn't have more hauntings. Spike confronts an enemy and tries to avoid slipping into hell.

Angel is running the L.A. branch of Wolfram & Hart and discovering the perks and challenges of his new position, as are Fred, Wesley, Lorne and Gunn. Harmony returns as Angel’s new assistant, we meet the mysterious Eve, and Blondie Bear is back!

We made it to the end of Buffy! Cue some tears (but no bubbly, Allie is in Boston before noon). We start with the Angel finale, and the Wolfram & Hart deal has us very excited for next season, bye bye Jasmine! Then, we dive into the Buffy finale, where we appreciate the emotions while quibbling with some of the plot. Then, we go over our rankings for the show as a whole and how a non-binge viewing has changed our minds.

This week, Buffy reenacts the Sword In the Stone, Angel arrives in town, and everyone prepares for the final battle. Meanwhile on Angel, our hero is somehow also in a hell dimension, while his friends wait in a cell for his return with the word to destroy Jasmine.

It’s a brazil nut of an episode for Buffy this week, when Faith replaces Buffy as lead slayer and…everyone just has sex. Buffy finds her sword in the stone and Faith leads the potentials into a trap. On Angel, the gang is on the run from Jasmine’s minions, and they stumble on a very Rumplestiltskin-like clue to defeating her in the sewers.

On Buffy, tensions come to a head as the potentials, Giles and Xander confront Buffy over her leadership. Spike and Andrew take a road trip and learn more about what Caleb is after. In LA, Fred tries desperately to show Angel and the others the truth about Jasmine.

It’s refreshing for Buffy to again have a flesh and blood villain to fight instead of whatever the First is, and Caleb brings a real creep factor to this story. But would it have worked better if he were introduced earlier? Then, we didn’t hate Angel this week but we have a hard time believing this episode was seasons in the making and planning. And don’t get us started on Fred and the sweater.

This Buffy episode doesn’t quite live up to our memories of enjoying it, and we have our quibbles, but we do get some good flashbacks for both Spike and Principal Wood. Although, what is the show trying to say with these parallel tales? We aren’t sure. Let’s face it though, this episode didn’t have to try very hard to be better than Angel. Oh wow. But anyway… have you seen Yennefer’s eyeshadow on The Witcher?

Andrew treats us to his version of Masterpiece Theater this week, but his attempts to catalogue the work of the slayer lead ultimately to a confrontation of his own actions and part he’s played in the rise of the First. On Angel, the team starts to put the pieces together about Cordelia and the Beast’s master, while Gunn helps Gwen with a mission.

It’s a day in the life in Sunnyvale this week, as So.Much.Is.Happening. and we don’t quite know which part is supposed to be important? Let us not forget this is episode with the bonkers insanity of Buffy opening a portal with shadow puppets and Andrew making funnel cake!! As for Angel, we still don’t know what is supposed to be going on with Cordelia but thank god Willow showed up to breathe some life into the hotel!

We planned the TED Talk for Ginny’s wedding! But also, we discussed “First Date” and “Release” and since when was Buffy in love with Spike? That’s a bad retcon. Good retcon would be Principle Wood being the son of a slayer killed by Spike. We’ll allow that. As usual, there’s an interesting story on Angel that the show is ignoring. This week felt like a rehash, and we hope to be done with Angelus soon!

We are extremely “nay” on these episodes this week! Buffy was just boring, and Angel was just gross. Both shows also insist on missing the point of what is interesting in favor of…what, we aren’t sure. But that said, Faith is back and we are loving it!

It’s a great episode of Buffy as Dawn confronts her future as a Potential, and then the idea that she’ll just be normal in a world of friends with extraordinary powers. Fortunately, Xander is there as an example. On Angel, this week’s burning question: what does “Calvary” mean? Which definition are they going for here? We aren’t really sure. We also get more time with Angelus, but we’re starting to wonder if he’s really a conniving genius or just a petty gossip.

This week in burning questions, is there only one bathroom in the Summers house? Also, we might understand the motivations of the First now! Maybe? And Buffy puts on a great show for the Potentials by killing the neander-vamp. In LA, Angelus is here, but actually he’s not that fun! He doesn’t really answer any questions about the beast, but he stalls long enough for his soul to go missing. And to be clear, we are not trying to coin the term “Fresley” ok?

We didn’t like this Buffy episode. The First is too broad a villain at this point and the story is too unfocused as a result. And then half of us got duped by the Angel episode, yikes! But we’re ready for Angelus next time!

On Buffy, the scoobies try to figure out what Spike knows and what’s been happening to him, while an unexpected run in with Andrew brings more chaos and harbingers to the house. In L.A., Angel and co. are joined by Gwen, who has witnessed the Beast at work and may provide clues for what he’s up to.

We’re getting deeper into the season with the Big Bad for Buffy and still totally lost as to the motivations. Why is this happening again? Is this Bad just too Big to be effective? For Angel, this week’s episode has the best name ever and is a lot of fun, but forever marred by the fact it’s also the aftermath of the Cordelia and Connor nonsense.

We have a pared down cast this week on Buffy, as the slayer, Willow, and Dawn all meet the enemy and are told disturbing revelations. On Angel, we swallow our vomit as Connor and Cordelia get icky and apocalypse brings a big demon and fire to the skies of L.A.

“Him” is kind of a nothing and we don’t have too much to say about it, or at least not as much as usual. Meanwhile, Angel has it’s own “Tabula Rasa” episode with “Spin the Bottle” but this time, a memory spell stops everyone’s memories at age 17, to mostly entertaining results but we see the end starting to happen for Cordelia and We.Don’t.Like.It.

We’ve got a couple retcon episodes this week, as Buffy tries to answer the question, Who is Anya when she isn’t with Xander? She has over 1100 years of history to try and answer that, but even so, she can’t, and the show does a great job of using the character’s one-dimensionality to explore this in a surprisingly rich way. On Angel, it’s revealed a former professor is the one who sent Fred to Pylea, and this revelation causes her to wrestle with her traumatic past, with devastating repercussions for Gunn.

We didn’t really like Angel this week, but it happened, so we talked about it. Wesley and Lila continue to be a better show. On Buffy, the slayer’s first week as school counselor gets off to a rough start with Cassie, a teen convinced she’s about to die.

This week, we must correctly define a parasite, as we confront maybe the grossest demon in the Buffyverse? Yes? And, as Willow returns to Sunnydale, the show and her friends both refuse to just let her off the hook for her actions, which we appreciate. On Angel, we take a trip to Las Vegas to find out what Lorne is up to!

This week, we have to again talk about the problematic corner the show has written Spike into, and how his treatment is different than the treatment of Anya. On Angel, Wesley continues his cool streak and Angle tangles with a super-powered thief to get information about Cordelia’s whereabouts. Also, did one of Buffy’s most famous plots borrow from Sailor Moon?

We’re going right back to the beginning and we’re going to learn about ourselves in the process! Welcome to Buffy Season 7 and Angel Season 4! We’re almost done with Buffy eps and we’re not crying, you’re crying! In “Lessons” we are re-world building, as Buffy returns to the newly re-opened Sunnydale High, still inconveniently located on top of the Hellmouth. In LA, Angel is still underwater and Cordelia is missing, but Wesley and Lila have their best moments, maybe ever, and We. Are. Loving. It!

It’s finale time this week, as we discuss “Grave” and “Tomorrow.” Willow is still on the rampage in Sunnyvale and even Giles can’t stop her, but maybe Xander can, with the power of wuv. We still disagree on Spike’s intentions, but he gets something out of his trials that may or may not be what he was after. In LA, Angel tries to bond with Connor, who only has revenge on his mind. Cordelia finds herself swept up to a new existence.

This week, Willow is on the hunt for Jonathan and Andrew as Buffy and Xander desperately try to keep her from crossing further over the line by killing them. On Angel, Connor spends time with the team and Holtz carries out his final plans.

In “Villains,” the aftermath of Warren’s attack proves deadly, as Willow sets out for vengeance at any magical cost, and Buffy and Xander try to stop her (we admit we found it kind of cathartic watching Warren get his). On Angel, Connor is back, but he’s grown up and has a massive chip on his shoulder toward Angel. Bored now.

This week, we arrive at “Seeing Red” and it’s a big one. Ultimately, humans are going to be the most dangerous foe for Buffy and friends. Monsters may haunt Sunnyvale, but it’s guns that are the most terrifying. In LA, magic, water hogging slugs invade the hotel, but mostly Angel is still the worst. We want justice for Wesley!! And for Tara, she didn’t deserve to go out like that.

The Scoobies begin to descend into (more) disorder this week, as Anya’s quest for revenge on Xander leads to revelations about Buffy and Spike. On Angel, Cordelia returns and offers comfort to Angel, while Fred and Gunn contend with their own relationship and a demon returned from Gunn’s past.

Everything is normal again! Not so much, as a poison-addled Buffy must differentiate between two different realities. But, mostly, txt this be remembered as the episode where Buffy committed the unforgivable sin of pouring liquids into a trash can. Meanwhile, Angel’s toxic masculinity is showing, and our patience is thinning. We see the consequences of no meaningful interactions between Angel and Wesley since Pylea, as the team tries to sift through the fallout of Connor’s kidnapping and we try to figure why this show continually undermines itself.

Hell’s Bells! Xander and Anya make it to their wedding day but not down the aisle, thanks to a plotting demon and Xander’s truly terrible family. On Angel, Wesley’s attempts to thwart prophecy have catastrophic consequences.

This week, it’s the redemption of Riley Finn! He returns to Sunnydale for a mission with his cool new wife, causing Buffy to take a hard look at her life and decide what needs to change. On Angel, we’re sick of this story and the show has a villain problem, but damn is Wesley fantastic, right?

This week, it’s another Buffy birthday episode! She really should have learned to stop trying to celebrate by now. But really, it’s Dawn who needs a celebration, as her feelings of neglect and loneliness lead to the Scoobies getting trapped in the Summers house with a deadly demon…and Clem. On Angel, Gru is in L.A. to woo his princess, but Cordelia fears getting close will cost her the visions she’s fought so hard to keep. And Angel is basically a petty bitch about the whole thing, of course. 

It’s a heavy theme this week, as both Buffy and Angel grapple with the idea of consent as men try controlling women through magical means. In Sunnyvale, the Trio’s latest plans lead to murder, and Buffy grapples with her involvement with Spike and her feelings about her resurrection. In L.A., the ballet comes to town Angel discovers the dancers are the same he saw decades ago. The gang uncovers the wizard behind the show, but not before the group rearranges romantically, under spell and for real, with heartbreaking results for Wesley and Angel.

Is “Doublemeat Palace” a terrible episode of TV? Or is it just a weird episode of Buffy? Why is the tone so strange? Why is the pacing so slow? It’s got a horror movie vibe but something just doesn’t work about it for us. In “Provider,” Angel’s quest for money scatters the team and leads to a risky situation for Fred.

This week, Buffy gets a haircut! That’s really what makes this episode memorable, right? Otherwise, we have to remember Buffy acting out of character and everyone basically being terrible, or the cartoon villains that makeup the Trio. Is it working? We aren’t sure. On Angel, its the episode we’ve been expecting for oh, two seasons now, as Cordelia gets made a part demon for her birthday, after seeing what life would be like had she never been given her visions. It’s all a bit rushed but she floats now, so we’ll allow it. Also, Cordelia’s show reel was delightful!

This week, we can’t remember if Allie has ever seen either Aliens or the Aliens episode of Community, but we landed on “maybe.” In Buffy news, we get treated to an after school special on addictive magic use. We like the story, but it’s overt on the nose lessons really don’t work for us. On Angel, we get a slight uptick in quality as our hero adjusts to his first 24 hours of fatherhood while trying to keep the various factions hunting his son at bay. What can we say, we love a twist!

This week, we are talking about “Smashed” on Buffy, a.k.a. the one where Buffy and Spike smash a house. But we don’t have to talk about that. We can talk instead about how cartoonish the Trio seem with their freeze-ray, or the messed up dynamic between Spike and Buffy, or Amy the rat leading Willow even further down her dark path to villainy. And then we can talk about the smashing. On Angel, we have a slight uptick in quality as Darla finally gives birth, and all the different interested parties close in on the gang. Holtz allows Angel a brief respite from the chase and Darla makes the ultimate sacrifice. We disagree on how affecting it is.

We start to confront the idea of Willow as villain this week, as she takes her use of magic to reckless levels in her attempts to keep Tara happy. Hilarity ensues, but also a reckoning for Tara on Willow’s treatment of her. On Angel, we are getting a little tired of the flashbacks, as we know by now that Angel and Darla used to be bad, and unfortunately this episode spends a little too much time making that point yet again. But in the present day, Darla goes into labour and all the demons and lawyers in L.A. are trying to get their hands on the child and find out what his purpose is.

We’re a little out of order this week, talking first about “Offspring” on Angel. Darla finally arrives in L.A. and tells Angel he’s going to be a father, and Holtz arrives in the 21st Century. And that’s enough of that! Because! This week we also FINALLY made it to “Once More With Feeling” so let’s sing about it! There are trash fires in Sunnydale so you know it’s basically one of the best episodes of TV ever? YES. Go forth and enjoy.

This week, we have to talk about Willow. But first, it’s Halloween in Sunnydale! Dawn proves why you should always just stay home and watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Anya is thrilled when Xander finally announces their engagement. And then Willow heads to the dark side. Blerg. On Angel, as usual, the social message is a little hit or miss, but it’s a great Cordelia episode and we feel for Wesley. Poor man just has some bad breaks coming to him.

Ginny’s finally excited to talk about both episodes this week! Is “Life Serial” a nuanced take on toxic masculinity? We think it’s accidental, but it works super well 18 years later! Also, Buffy’s friends should definitely be paying rent, right? On Angel, Fred makes a decision to stay in LA and be part of the team, and we meet her charming parents.