Finally a blogger-type person who *understands* Buffy. He gets the metaphor, breaks it down to its significance to the series, but also understands the necessity for tasty explosions and sword fights.

And while most of us disagree with "Dead Things" being a top 20 episode, I dare you to argue with this guy when he's used the most magical word to describe it: 'underrated.'

Nice link, Grounded.

TheZeppo | January 22, 06:13 CET

Careful with that "most of us" notion TheZeppo. I know a lot of folks who love Dead Things. Me among them. :)

Miss Edith | January 22, 06:28 CET

It's one of my favorite episodes as well. Season six is also my favorite behind five.

| January 22, 07:43 CET

there's also an amazing Angel review site at www.chiefseattlereivews.net - much more in depth than these Buffy ones... they're a pretty intense read, but very rewarding.

aapac | January 22, 08:32 CET

Just thought I'd add this link. He does a nice job with the reviews of both BtVS and AtS with synopses and analyses of the eps as well.

Though these were written at the time the episodes first aired, he has updated some and is in the process of doing series analyses on both Buffy and Angel.

Miss Edith | January 22, 09:05 CET

I really don't agree with his/her review of Enemies.

ChosenOne5376 | January 22, 10:38 CET

I've seen quite a lot of critiques for various episodes, but if only someone would review all of the old tapes as they were aired and then compared them with the DVDs to look for subtle differences ...

Ocular | January 22, 13:27 CET

A new fan/writer's perspective is always welcome on the subject of Buffy. It's nice to feel in accord with others in the fandom, but even things I might find myself disagreeing with him about teach me something about myself and the way I view the world.

Going through the whole series is a pretty ambitious goal; I'm a little jealous of anyone who's discovering any Joss show now for the first time and might come across this as a reference, simply because there weren't the online resources in the early years that there are today (though many I used to visit are, sadly, no more). Thank the interweb, it's a lot easier to be a fan these days!

For anyone interested in checking out a similar treatment of Angel through all five seasons (since it may be a while before Mikejer gets around to it), I always found the Angel Screening Room to be chock-a-block with interesting perspectives, conveniently-gathered episode factoids and detailed descriptions. (In all honesty, the several guest reviews I contributed may render my opinion less than 100% unbiased. ;)

Wiseblood | January 22, 13:45 CET

I just watched Dead Things the other day on FX. Beautiful beautiful episode. Its haunting. One of my favorites from that season.

Are all stores no longer selling the Chosen collection? I looked on amazon and some other sites and it appears so. Only overpriced used sets.

eddy | January 22, 14:01 CET

Dead Things never stood out to me. But every time I re-watch the series, I have a new favorite handful of episodes. What a show.

TheZeppo | January 22, 14:14 CET

"Dead Things" is #10 in my rankings that I made not long after "Chosen". It's that good.

crossoverman | January 22, 14:39 CET

I'm gonna chime in here - I am another big Dead Things fan. I simply love Spike's reation to the fact the police find the body, right after he claims it won't ever be found.

Passion | January 22, 17:18 CET

I'd recently used Google to find a few Buffy/Angel episode review sites to read as I go through the DVDs. As well as the ones already mentioned here, I would strongly recommend The Soulful Spike Society, though it doesn't have all the episodes. It also has thoughtful reviews of a few other series, including Firefly.

[ edited by tichtich on 2006-01-22 15:44 ]

tichtich | January 22, 17:44 CET

Wiseblood wrote: I'm a little jealous of anyone who's discovering any Joss show now for the first time and might come across this as a reference, simply because there weren't the online resources in the early years that there are today

I'm not sure I'd recommend these reviews to first-time watchers, as they tend to contain spoilers. For a second-time watcher like me they're excellent.

Correction: it looks like the reviews at www3.sympatico.ca/jenoff don't contain spoilers. They seem to have each been written before watching the next episode (or to give that impression).

In some ways, watching the second time (on DVD) is even better than the first time (on TV), especially as I've had a few years to forget a lot of stuff, and missed a few episodes altogether. I've just watched The Prom and Graduation Day Part 1 for the first time. I loved The Prom, except for the feeble hellhound sub-plot.

[ edited by tichtich on 2006-01-22 16:35 ]

[ edited by tichtich on 2006-01-22 16:35 ]

[ edited by tichtich on 2006-01-22 16:36 ]

[ edited by tichtich on 2006-01-22 16:37 ]

tichtich | January 22, 17:52 CET

But at least now you know who "Andrew's brother" is! ;-)

Miss Edith | January 22, 18:07 CET

But at least now you know who "Andrew's brother" is! ;-)

Well, I do now that you've mentioned it and I've looked it up! I'd forgotten that tidbit from season 6, as it didn't mean anything to me at the time. OK, it was worth having the helldogs story for the sake of that cool bit of linkage. ;-)

tichtich | January 22, 18:32 CET

Missed Angel's "I'll be damned" quote from "The Harvest", maybe the second most obvious clue behind the cross of his true nature. I agree with his ratings systems more than I have many other sites.

rockchalkwatcher | January 22, 18:45 CET

Heh, I recently had a Tucker moment too. Just watched the season 3 dvd extras again a few days ago and was reminded that it's Brad Kane's voice (Tucker) that we hear during Superstar when Jonathan is on stage with the band.

herb | January 22, 18:49 CET

What a great site Tichtich (Soulful Spike Society)! Thanks for listing it. I'm enjoying it immensely :-) And yes, the reviews at the sympatico/jenoff site I posted were written at the time the show first aired. They do not contain spoilers, but the guy did have an uncanny knack of predicting things that did happen in future eps. I'd rate his batting average at about 80%.

Miss Edith | January 22, 20:03 CET

I've always wanted to have a website where I review every episode of Buffy, Angel and Firefly, and then possibly other shows I have been following such as Alias, Lost and possibly Veronica Mars once I see it. I'd like to sort of look at it from a fan's perspective and from a more technical standpoint, looking at the different themes and plot/character developments. Definitely an ambitious undertaking, but I think if I decided to watch and review one or two episodes a week I could probably keep to schedule.

I don't even think I would mind if few people actually visited the site, it would be nice just to collect my own thoughts and perhaps the occasional person might see it.

Also, I'd like to recommend http://www.billiedoux.com/ for excellent reviews for every episode of Buffy and Angel, as well as several other shows.

Razor | January 22, 20:10 CET

My big pet peeve for this site? The use of "quote" as a noun. It's a verb, people!

Knuckleball | January 22, 20:48 CET

Not according to my Webster's, adam_tvs. "Quote" has been in usage as a noun (meaning "quotation") since 1888.

phlebotinin | January 22, 21:14 CET

While it may have been in usage since 1888, "quote" is an informal synonym for "quotation." In proper English, "quotation" should always be used, in place of "quote," as a noun.

Knuckleball | January 22, 21:25 CET

I think it depends on your source dictionary and/or your definition of proper English.

phlebotinin | January 22, 21:28 CET

My main problem with this site is that the quality is so uneven. In one sentence there'll be a nice summation of a character development, in the next there'll be something like 'I didn't like how annoying Buffy was in this scene'. No analysis, no explanation, just 'I thought this was good/ not good'. Maybe it's because I've watched these episodes more times than I can count in the last 8 years, but I'd like a bit more than that.

lone fashionable wolf | January 22, 21:57 CET

I definitely think DEAD THINGS is one of the top twenty episodes.

I agree with the poster about the SOULFUL SPIKE site, talk about kickass reviews. (Springsummers analysis is very good, to say the least)

[ edited by spikeylover on 2006-01-22 21:28 ]

spikeylover | January 22, 22:51 CET

I put Dead Things in my top 10 list. Imo, it's an amazing epi, incredibly layered and full of metaphor. It completely captures the B/S relationship in season 6, especially the dream sequence where Katrina represents *both* Buffy and Spike.

Reddygirl | January 23, 01:20 CET

I don't know. i have a hard time enjoying some of Season Six. Dead Things was good. I don't think its Top 20 material though. Season 6's feel was much too different and I think the depression of all the character coulda been offset more by humor, just like past seasons. Best episodes in Season 6 I think are Once More, Life Serial, Hell's Bells, Entropy, Seeing Red, and the Season finale two parter. And After Life.

ChosenOne5376 | January 23, 02:15 CET

lone fashionable wolf wrote My main problem with this site is that the quality is so uneven...there'll be something like 'I didn't like how annoying Buffy was in this scene'. No analysis, no explanation, just 'I thought this was good/ not good'.

No doubt about it, lfw, but I give the guy a pass on that due to his youth. At one point, he seems to indicate that he's never even had a relationship, so he's definitely still a work in progress. On the whole, although I don't agree with him on everything, I'd judge it a fine effort.

Wiseblood? I only discovered Mr. Whedon about 18 months ago, so I had the truly enviable experience of seeing the entire run of both shows on DVDs, pretty much straight thru. (Of course, there's that unfinished thesis on my desk, but really, let's not get ugly.)

cronopio | January 23, 03:22 CET

cronopia: Since you are watching for the first time on DVD you missed the exquisite torture of "Grrr! Arrgh! I have to wait till next week/month/fall for more?!!?" I really miss that. Sigh.

redfern | January 23, 06:21 CET

I also became a real fan after BTVS was over. So I was able to catch-up only having to wait until the two episodes that would be run the next day, or on Monday when I ran into the weekend. That was bad enough. I really paid the price though because S5 of Angel was half over when I found out how amazing BTVS was. In fact it had just been cancelled. I started watching. I figured I would catch the first half in reruns. That shows you how long it has been since I really followed a TV show. There were, of course, no reruns. I had to wait for the DVD's to come out the following November to put together what happened in between the end of BTVS and the middle of s5 Angel...while trying to figure out which season of Angel was which. Ugh!!

I am now going through BTVS again in order, watching every episode all the way through. (Except that I had to skip the one with the Kinder-killer guy because my almost 10 year old wanted to watch with me, and neither of us really needed him to see that one.) In someways it is truly annoying that there is something that is "must see" in even the most unappealing episodes. Skipping just is not a good idea no matter how much you love the episode after this next one and this next one is about demon eggs or fish guys. ;-)

BTW, when I rewatched, Buffy's almost erotic challenge to Angel to fight her in the first episode of S2 really struck me as such a strong set up of her future relationship with Spike. Angel turned her down, but of course Spike jumped at the chance a few years later.

I'm not good at ranking the episodes. Just watched Becoming tonight. Boy, what an amazing pair of episodes they were. I hope they bring back that Spike guy. He was really good. But you know what? Angel is still in the credits in S3. What's up with that? Isn't he dead? ;-)

newcj | January 23, 09:11 CET

Another kudos for the Soulful Spike link. Very nice, thoughtful analyses.

Miss Edith, thanks also for the link to the Spike fanfic the other day. Enjoyed it, especially the story after he leaves the demon's cave. Took me too long to figure out what was going on - but then Spike didn't necessarily see Maggie Walsh when he was a prisoner, so he wouldn't know her name when he saw her.

barboo | January 23, 20:10 CET

I should've posted that link months ago. I'm so lazy it hurts. Anyway I also frequent that site as well. I always find other peoples views on each episode and season interesting to read about. I still love my top three episodes and will never change them.

1. Prophecy Girl
2. I Only Have Eyes For You
3. The Wish

Nothing will ever top those three.

[ edited by SpikeBad on 2006-01-23 22:39 ]

SpikeBad | January 24, 00:37 CET

Barboo glad you enjoyed :-) I don't recall how I lucked into Indri, but her(?) stuff is a lot of fun to read. I think she really captures Spike's "voice" the way very few fanfic authors do.

BTW, if you like analyses and haven't ever visited it, do try www.slayage.tv Lots of good, scholarly essays there on just about any BtVS topic imaginable.

Miss Edith | January 24, 01:23 CET

Oh, I've been reading slayage for a long time. Usually when I'm supposed to be working! (Long being relative in that I've only been hip to the Buffyverse a little over a year). Before I was able to join you good folks at whedonesque, reading it was my main outlet for those cravings.

I agree about Indri's capturing Spike's voice. So many talented people out there.

barboo | January 24, 02:36 CET