Diary of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer Virgin – A werewolf in love, a Calendar closes

(Season 2, Episodes 15-18)

A major development for Oz, one of the lighter episodes we’ve seen followed immediately by one of the most tragic. There’s a reason this show resonates so strongly still with its legions of followers. And I don’t think it has anything to do with Buffy’s penchant for animal prints.

Seth Green is so much fun as Oz, it’s nice to see the writers finding more to do with him. On the opposite end of the spectrum, wheelchair bound Spike is almost no fun at all. All that screen presence he commanded is virtually gone with him bound down like that. Angel and Drusilla certainly make up for it, and the banter between the three is great fun, but I think I need Spike back to his bad self before too much longer.

2.15 – “Phases”
(Original Air Date: January 27, 1998) If Buffy can bang a vampire with a soul, I don’t see why Willow can’t share a kiss with a werewolf with a heart. I was enjoying Oz as a character even before he became a supernatural entity. I loved how casually he called up his aunt about it once he figured it out.

This also marks the first of two episodes to feature principal cast members in their nakedness. Well, Seth Green is more of a secondary character, but he feels like family, doesn’t he? Hopefully, as family, he gets a better werewolf costume as that one looked pretty cheap.

I wasn’t as impressed with Cain the hunter as a character, but what he represents is an expanding world of people who know about the supernatural underworld all around us was intriguing. He even seemed to take it in stride that Buffy and Giles knew about werewolves; and yet he doesn’t seem to know anything about vampires.

It makes sense, considering the variety of monsters Buffy’s faced, that there would be werewolves as well. Now I want to know how many of them are out there, and if they’re as vicious as lore then how come Oz didn’t actually kill anyone, and had to be set up by Angel to look like he did?

As a bonus touch, it was nice how Oz took notice of the cheerleading trophy in the display case. It was a clever bit of foreshadowing for Amy Madison’s return in the following episode.

2.16 – “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”
(Original Air Date: February 10, 1998) Definitely one of the wackier outings so far; impressive for a show that had people turn into their Halloween costumes. And yet it wasn’t far-fetched at all that Xander would attempt to put a spell on Cordelia after she dumps him. Maturity is not a strength of his.

And I respected Giles’ disgust and dismissal of him as a result, even if it wasn’t the best of ideas. That said, I’m not sure there was anywhere Xander could have gone to avoid what ultimately happened, but why Buffy’s house? Because it was a set that was available? To involve her mother? This is at least the second time that Scoobies not including Buffy have sought refuge there.

We’ve got werewolves in the cast now along with vampires so why not bring back the only witch we’ve come to know and … love? Her turning Buffy into a rat was odd, until Wikipedia explained that it was so Sarah Michelle Gellar could go film SNL.

It did create another example of the decentness of Oz, however. When she turned back human she was naked, implying that she had been naked under that trench coat for Xander (how’d she get into school like that). And yet, with just the two of them in the basement and he with a flashlight, he makes no attempt to look or even give her crap about it. Classy guy.

It was this episode that allowed me to get Cordy and Xander as a couple. They’re both immature, sure, but underneath that resistance there’s a strong attraction. I don’t think it’s a mature emotional connection, but it’s a “naughty” hot connection that makes perfect sense for teenagers.

2.17 – “Passion”
(Original Air Date: February 24, 1998) What an amazing episode this was. Tragic for Giles but beautifully put together for those fans at home. And such a stark contrast to the goofiness of the prior episode, its impact was even stronger. This was the first episode that gave me a true emotional reaction.

And yet it didn’t sacrifice the trademark humor of the series, particularly funny was Willow being devastated to see Ms. Calendar arrive at school on time, meaning she wouldn’t get to stand in and substitute for a bit. Five hours of prep time wasted indeed.

If only she’d known the fate of poor Ms. Calendar. I guess this solidified just how truly far gone Angel is. And Buffy can take some of the blame for Jenny’s death since she had a chance to kill Angel and wasn’t able to seal the deal.

The lengths that Angel went in setting up his ruse in Giles’ apartment show just how disgustingly twisted and horrible he’s become. That’s beyond just killing someone. He wanted Giles at his highest possible feelings when they were shattered, and spared no expense to set it up. Truly evil.

At least Calendar was able to get the spell to un-invite him into Buffy’s house, as well as Willow’s, Cordy’s car (was this really necessary?) and ultimately Giles’ apartment. And she found the translation to restore Angel’s soul, even if it is now stuck between her desk and file cabinet in her classroom. I’m sure someone will find it eventually.

2.18 – “Killed by Death”
(Original Air Date: March 3, 1998) As I stated when this project started, I’d already watched the episode “Hush” as a one-off exposure to Buffy. And this episode reminded me a lot of that one, though it may be the slight similarity in monster design. All in all, I think this episode was written so that any children who might see it will be absolutely terrified of getting sick.

There weren’t any major developments and I have some major concerns about that hospital. The halls are almost completely empty, and no one is watching the children? Not only did they get into the basement through an access door in their room, but even the doctor who tracked Buffy down didn’t seem to notice that they were gone.

Hell, nobody noticed the screaming from the children who died? As seen in the basement and in Buffy’s flashback to her cousin’s death, the kids scream bloody murder before they finally die.

And in the final disappointment of th whole thing, the monster went down too easily. I didn’t even realize how she’d killed it until she explained to Xander that she’d snapped its neck. He’d previously been impervious to her attacks. Maybe he weakens when he’s trying to feed. A little disappointing over all.

Previously on Diary of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer Virgin
(Now you can just click the show title under TV Shows over there on the right for all our previous installments. Handy, isn’t it?)

Clacked by Jason Hughes
on Jul 14, 2009 @ 13:00 EST5EDT