10: “Becoming, Part I” (BTVS S2E21)

[00:00:00] Hello, it is Ryan and we could all use an extra bright spot in our day, couldn't we?

[00:00:04] Just to make up for things like sitting in traffic, doing the dishes, counting your steps, you know,

[00:00:08] all the mundane stuff.

[00:00:10] That is why I'm such a big fan of Chumba Casino.

[00:00:13] Chumba Casino has all your favorite social casino style games that you can play for free

[00:00:17] anytime, anywhere with daily bonuses.

[00:00:20] That's your bright new day, Lo.

[00:00:22] Actually, a lot.

[00:00:22] So sign up now at Chumba Casino.com.

[00:00:25] That's Chumba Casino.com. So what are we helpless?

[00:01:46] Puppets? Part 1 directed by J.W. and written by Rob Deshotel, Dean Bitali, J.W. and Marty Noxen. The original air date was May 12th of 1998. And this episode, actually, what an Emmy for outstanding music composition for a series dramatic underscore.

[00:03:02] Yeah, once I read that, I, when I watched by Aqua. In the box office, Deep Impact is in the top spot and Titanic has slid to number two. Oh, I love Deep Impact. Me too. That's a fantastic one. And on TV, Opposite of Buffy at 8 p.m. were the same sitcoms we went over last time. And on Fox, it was World's Worst

[00:04:24] Drivers caught on tape. that would become the euro. Oh, wow. And this is a big one. On May 4th, the Unibomber was sentenced to four life terms in prison and in additional 30 years. And the judge said that Ted Kaczynski committed unspeakable and monstrous crimes for which he shows utterly no remorse.

[00:05:41] So he must still be serving time.

[00:05:44] I haven't heard an update on the Unibomber in a really long time.

[00:05:47] He's still locked up. A judge barred President Clinton's effort to limit the scope of the Special Counsel Investigation, ruling that the president cannot invoke executive privilege or attorney client privilege to restrict the prosecutor questioning of his close advisors, lawyers, and other officials. So that was a huge blow to the Clinton administration.

[00:07:02] And then on May 12th, the day this the scoobies to investigate and eventually uncover a monster called the Kendustod German for the child's death. And that monster absolutely terrified me the first time. It's still terrified. So it's so gross. school librarian and I do love to you I think one of my favorite parts of that episode is they all bring gifts and Giles gift to Buffy is for rapes Well It's like thanks So consider it that it's a good one

[00:09:42] We also skipped the next episode. I only have eyes for you

[00:10:50] This episode is about Buffy and her guilt and feeling guilty for her role in Angel losing his soul and needing forgiveness, whether or not she, quote, deserves it. And there's a whole conversation about you don't forgive someone because they've earned it. It's an active compassion.

[00:10:57] And sometimes getting that forgiveness is the onlymouth and all is not what it seems. As members of the swim team go missing, the Scooby Gang suspects a sweet ready to be there for him. It's Impressive. Yeah, and also well, that's a spoiler. I won't say anything about that. Yeah, I was like there. Yep. Yep Gosh step into the world of power

[00:13:43] Loyalty and luck. I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse with family

[00:14:41] Now, are you feeling lucky? No purchase necessary.

[00:14:42] Boy, where do we have to buy law?

[00:14:43] 18 plus terms and conditions apply.

[00:14:44] See what's every details.

[00:14:46] OK, round two.

[00:14:47] Name something that's not boring.

[00:14:50] Laundry?

[00:14:51] Ooh, a book club.

[00:14:53] Computer solitaire, huh?

[00:14:56] Ah, sorry.

[00:14:57] We were looking for Chumba Casino.

[00:14:59] Chumba, chumba.

[00:15:01] That's right.

[00:15:02] Chumba Casino.com has over 100 casino style games.

[00:15:05] Join today and play for free for your chance

[00:15:07] to redeem some serious prizes. you know, that that one scene where we see her go into the confessional where she doesn't know that Angel has killed, you know, the priest and he is taking his place in the confessional. And she's talking about how she has these precognitive abilities and these visions and sees things

[00:16:21] before they happen and that her mom saying she's mess with Jusilla's head. But now I think he just happened to be at the church to eat that priest and then this is when he learns about Jusilla. Yes. And her visions and and he's like, because you can see on his face, he's like, oh, finally something interesting. It's scary

[00:17:41] like how and David Boreana's does a great And then she's like, please. I'm so afraid that he's like, okay 10 our fathers and our fathers contrition. How does that sound? She's like, thank you. Thank you

[00:19:02] Well, all right that we get so much angel backstory, right? With all these flashbacks. There are some people online who are very put out that the numbers don't match. Like in season one at one point, Buffy is like, you're like 240 years older than me to angel. And people are like, that's canon. So these numbers are a mistake.

[00:20:21] And I'm like, that was an estimate.

[00:20:24] Yeah.

[00:20:25] She's just being hyperbolic.

[00:20:27] She didn't know exactly what the number was with this promise of adventure. And you can tell that he, like the reason he's a drunken lout is because he's bored of his life, right? He wants something more interesting. And so he goes for it immediately. So he's turned into a vampire in 1753. My estimate just looking at him, I think we're supposed to believe he's like early twenties. To beler finds him eating rats in an alley in Manhattan. Angel is, he calls him skin and bones, but Angel looks large and healthy in that shot. I'm like, they could have done a better job of making him look gone. Like you can do things with makeup and stuff. Like some contour to haul out his cheeks or

[00:23:02] something like that. Like dirty up his face. Like he does a little. Every time I'm just like, why is this an aerating? Yeah. And I was like, no wait, that's not what it is. But I think he does.

[00:24:21] I really enjoy him in this episode.

[00:24:23] And I guess this is do she hear? I'm like, yeah, but dog meat is disgusting. A dog meat is just kind of like, that's, I mean, that's what people said at the time. It was always like, beer me, you know? Yeah, I was gonna say beer me is one that sticks out.

[00:25:40] Yeah, that was big in the 90s.

[00:25:42] And so dog me, at least it helped me get past

[00:26:46] flashback episodes or any sort of flashback. And this one really is so interesting to me because

[00:26:52] I do think it's funny that we see that Angel has really kind of always been a bit of a creep and a lurker. Yeah. And when he is, you know, seeing Buffy for the first time and he sees her face,

[00:27:00] I think David Boreana's does a very good job in that moment. And he just seems

[00:28:05] about how he is trying to ride Buffy's coattails to redemption.

[00:28:07] He's like, I wanna hurt, I wanna help her, and I wanna be a person.

[00:28:09] And it's like, oh.

[00:28:10] Wrong reason.

[00:28:11] Okay, but first of all, you have this immediate

[00:28:16] infatuation with her.

[00:28:17] That's creepy.

[00:28:18] She's 15.

[00:28:19] She's 15.

[00:28:20] And the last layer, yeah, it's very creepy.

[00:28:23] The master said something too.

[00:28:25] That always bugs me. like all that and ring pops, all that kind of thing. But for some reason with this, and it might be just because of the influence of knowing what happened with JW later on, where I'm like, it'll. Yeah, it's a little sexual. And, you know, the character's meant to be 15 or something at that point, and it's uncomfortable,

[00:29:40] but it's also realistic.

[00:29:42] She can't drive.

[00:29:43] I go back and forth about that.

[00:29:45] Yeah. Watching it as opposed to when I was you know I think I was 20 when I was renting all the DVDs on Netflix and going all the way through but it is there's like this maternal protectiveness now that comes in where

[00:31:01] I am not relating to Buffy so much'll be like, you need to be ready for the harvest. And then he just like walks away. I'm like, it's very helpful angel. Thank you. Yeah, that's great.

[00:32:20] And then the way that she finds out that he's a vampire is that they kiss.

[00:32:25] And that like triggers his bumpy face. you know, all these other little blonde teenage girls around her that are basically hanging on her every word. And she's talking about this boy basically begging her to go to the dance. And she's just, you know, she's wearing this big pink fluffy coat, like she's so innocent. And as

[00:33:41] she sang, buy to them, you know, with her sucker. And we've talked about this before. Sarah Michelle Geller does an excellent job portraying that vulnerability. Yeah.

[00:35:00] Something about like her, the way she holds her lips or so like that pouty.

[00:35:04] Yeah.

[00:35:05] It's just- It makes me feel better about liking the show. Honestly, the cast all seem great. Yeah. Minus good old JW. There's some allegations about Nicholas Brendan, but I think it's most of the booze related. He's the only one that I think I've ever seen anything really at all negative pop up.

[00:36:21] Yeah. They all the rest of them seem to be lovely people is so young. And he is such a stalker. Yeah, it's just like man, and that whole, like when he, it makes me laugh every time. It's not supposed to, but when he does roll up in that old, what is it? Like a Chevy Impala and rolls down the window so he's not like completely out in the sun.

[00:37:42] He just looks like such a creep. interesting. It's like what are you doing at a high school? Yeah. So angel and and drew go steal the obelisk or I don't know what to call the thing. The acathla box. How does angel know so much about a cathla when like Giles needed help from some other watcher who doesn't have a

[00:39:02] phone apparently? He knows so much and he knows like, whoa, it's a big rock. Can't wait to tell all my friends.

[00:40:20] They all don't have the rock this bit. Like he's such a dry

[00:41:23] someone has to sort of the stone. He has to pull out the sword and it has to be somebody worthy.

[00:41:27] And Spike says, you know, the demon wakes up and wackiness ensues.

[00:41:32] Andrew Silla points out that he swallows the world and they go into this

[00:41:36] held dimension in angels.

[00:41:38] Last line with that is my friends.

[00:41:40] We're about to make history end.

[00:41:44] And every time I hear watch me as I become

[00:44:21] Drink blood will wash in me for the finale, like some sort of, you know, it's kind of a joke almost later on all the apocalypse is that they face. This is number four. Potential apocalypse is yeah. So I guess season finale do something big into the world so now I'm super aware of it, and I'm like, oh, that's a concussion. Oh, that's a concussion too. Like you need time to get it all, like it just, ugh.

[00:45:43] Yeah, him being kidnapped is really does raise the stage.

[00:45:48] It does. three minions like Kendra should have been able to take out all those minions maybe not do Selma but like she Buffy could have and also so Kendra loaned her favorite stake Mr. Pointy to Buffy and spoiler alert Mr. Pointy sticks around

[00:47:02] for the rest of the series and then she keep meeting in the library and not someone's home is beyond me. I know. Because it's like, Giles has space. Yeah, books.

[00:48:21] But Kendra, you know,

[00:48:24] seeing her come to an end with Drew Silla elegant gruesome. Although I was like, isn't Slayer blood like a delicacy in the vampire world? Like, wouldn't she at least taste it? Right, I was like, Drew, what are you doing? Like, come on. But I think it also really relates to real life in terms of the ways that people go sometimes. Like there are

[00:49:44] heroic deaths and there are deaths that seem absolutely silly. around in her important to us, especially knowing that this was only the first half of the season finale. It's just like, holy shit, like a Slayer's dead. Like, no, what's going to happen? And that's a running shot of Buffy when she's running in the school and it's in slow motion

[00:51:01] and she goes around that corner where you to kill you and like you can tell that she's really hoping that the curse will work and she's like come on Willow come on she doesn't want to have to do that thing like she doesn't want to kill her lover even though he's

[00:52:20] you know soulless evil fiend oh that and Angel has thrown everything out of whack for them. They're worried about Buffy's mom. They're all worried

[00:53:42] about their pets, their family is like crazy person. So this spell might restore Angel's humanity? Well, here's an interesting angle. Who cares? I care. Is that right? Let's not lose our perspective here, Senator.

[00:55:00] I'm perspective guy.

[00:55:02] Angel's a killer.

[00:55:03] Senator, it's not that simple.

[00:55:06] What?

[00:55:07] All is forgiven? or evil and I want Buffy for myself. Yes. And that's... The jealousy. That's what bothers me about Xander. I think also his sort of... He did that thing that I hate that people do in arguments where they take things to their most ludicrous extent extreme, right? He's like, you just want to forget all about Miss Calendar's death so you can have your

[00:56:22] boyfriend back.

[00:56:23] And Buffy's like, that's not what I said.

[00:56:26] Like that is not at all what the plan is. So I'm going to shut up, but that's a classic Zander speech because it's funny and self-deprecating and also kind of mean, like it's, yeah. It broke up the tension rather Well, in Willow, I do like this too, where Willow kind of takes charge and she does have a voice. Like we see her and Buffy kind of stand up a bit for what, you

[00:59:01] know, they're thinking and what they believe in.

[00:59:03] She's been looking at Miss Callender's stuff. pretty funny. But that whole argument is really fascinating to watch. And Shane, like, yeah. But this clearly feels very betrayed by Xander's harshness and his position, where he has no compassion for her position at all. hell. The same time as finals week. Yeah. Oh yeah. That line at the beginning of the episode when Zander and Buffy are in this cemetery and they're kind of talking about Angel and whether or not Buffy is really ready to fight

[01:01:44] him. which is very cute and or Oz has a nice quippy line and then Snyder comes in and you know, he's being a jerk and That it's such a teenage scene, right? Like Cody, oh, you're like, don't touch me you have fish hands and like Willow is sitting on Oz's lap and and they're all drinking like juice boxes and stuff like there's like little there's like

[01:03:03] Animal crackers on the table there. This is child food

[01:04:02] Um, did you re-watch Go Fish? Yeah, I did.

[01:04:03] Recently.

[01:04:03] Okay, so that scene where Buffy is in the car

[01:04:06] with one of the swimmers and he's like coming onto her.

[01:04:10] And so she like rightfully so,

[01:04:12] smashes his head into the steering wheel, I think.

[01:04:15] Like, you know, protects herself

[01:04:18] and then Snyder gets mad at her when he-

[01:04:23] Oh, but it was so, that's such a true moment, right?

[01:04:27] Like it's getting better, I think. about it a couple times where he seems to be more in the know than he lets on. And he references the mayor a few times in that episode. But he is obviously well connected and has it out for Buffy. And I did enjoy seeing Cordelia that little impotent Nazi comment.

[01:05:41] I was like, yeah, that's, that's pretty accurate.

[01:05:44] That encapsulates him.

[01:05:46] I wish we had more a slayer. No. I think he's, he's had enough life experience too, where he's just like, no, let's, let's not,

[01:07:03] let's not gamble on this. Sometimes they're not. I'll show you what I mean. And it's true like those little subtle moments that you don't know we're gonna have some big significance later on and if anything Buffy overall is all about being faced with You know changes and adversity and how you respond and adapt to it constantly and that's why

[01:09:22] like you were talking about that character. And you know, Buffy, we see her standing over Kendra's dead body

[01:09:29] and a police officer pointing a gun at her,

[01:09:32] telling her to freeze, like that's a pretty significant moment.

[01:09:38] It's a really big moment.

[01:09:39] It's great cliffhanger.

[01:09:40] Anytime!

[01:09:41] It's great cliffhanger.

[01:09:42] Seriously.

[01:09:43] Excellent cliffhanger.

[01:09:44] Anytime they bring in cops and make it more real, interesting. It sure is. Oh, I love that we did get to see, we talked about this a little bit, but like Buffy's academic insecurity. It's, it's a running theme on the show is that Buffy with her friends, and do any homework? It's, it's, I mean, I also don't the ground to a wall, anything. And like people just push them over and like, you know, concuss people with them. It is ridiculous.

[01:13:40] So easily.

[01:13:43] That is kind of difficult to watch every time

[01:13:45] it falls on Willow.

[01:13:48] Like, all right guys. like the exterior that they use for Buffy's School in Los Angeles is the same set as the famous clock from Back to the Future in 1985. So that clock tower scene, which is iconic if you've seen any of the Back to the Future movies, and I hope that you have. But I just, I love that

[01:15:00] so much. And I think about that every time I watch this episode.

[01:16:05] have like, you know, all this protective gear and stuff to keep them from getting really burned. But there are accidents all the time. Like, get hurt all the time.

[01:16:11] Some people have a lot of trust. Yeah.

[01:16:14] Or just a really low the ability self preservation.

[01:16:19] Yeah.

[01:16:21] Or no anxiety either, because there is no way I would be able to talk myself into doing that.

[01:17:27] such high stakes, it wraps up so many plot points and foreshadow so much more and I just I love it. What about you? It's so emotional. I also love this episode.

[01:17:35] It has, you know, these iconic moments like the running shot and the hypnosis

[01:17:41] of Kendra that are like burned into my brain. It sets up season three beautifully Let's head on over to the bronze for a quick drink and a blooming onion. That's a spoiler. And see what some of our listeners have to say. Bronze things, things of bronze. There was a piece of feedback that I didn't include because it seemed to be more about

[01:19:00] becoming part two. So we'll read that one next week if that person is like, hey, why didn't they

[01:19:04] read my feedback? That's why.

[01:20:08] the lovely On When. Hey Slayers, it's Anne When Here. Wow, it's all getting very real now, isn't it?

[01:20:16] This final two episodes of season two. I love the flashbacks. It's really cool to see

[01:20:23] Angel's beginning in his backstory, except for his very, very bad wig. It's distracting to me.

[01:21:41] And that sparks a question for me. What finally at the end, very sad. I think this show makes very good use of slow motion. There's a lot of shows now that you overuse it, TV shows and movies, but I think that they use it really well in this series and with Buffy running in slow motion

[01:21:45] and finding Kendra was very moving. grown back and that so in that universe in the Anne Rice vampire universe whatever hair you had when you died is the hair you have but I was like you know she could just cut it every day and have a different style every day like what is she so upset about that's actually kind of awesome. What is

[01:23:00] interesting because you would think you know your fingernails and your hair would I remember. But I, and I'm not gonna, you can Google it, it's fascinating. But I remember when he said that, I was just like, that is so cool. I never would have thought about that. But there you go. Now we gave you all a fun little. Post-death sense there for ya. Yeah.

[01:24:21] Well, on that note, that will mark the end

[01:24:25] of the main section of the podcast.

[01:25:24] Facebook group. I will say there are a few Facebook groups I'm a part of for different, you know, podcasts or interests or things like that. And I think the

[01:25:28] podcast group groups are the most active ones that I've come across. So it's a

[01:25:33] good time and everyone in there's great. So there's something for everyone. And

[01:25:37] keep in mind that you can also write in or record a voice message and you can

[01:25:43] find links to our social media long time. Yeah, and they cover all the shows, so they've probably covered a show that you love. I really enjoyed their coverage of you. Sweet tooth. Sweet tooth.

[01:27:02] I'm still, they're still covering fall of the house of Usher.

[01:27:04] There's just a lot on Strange Indeed.

[01:27:06] It's really, it's really interesting. And it was a real sort of glimpse of what Fall of the House of Usher would be because he similarly took one writer's work and sort of intermixed and went off from it in a way

[01:28:23] that was really cool. blamed basically what the second season would have consisted of. So it's, even though it's canceled after one season, it is not gonna leave you unsatisfied because you get to find out what happened. So that, I think that is a big plus if you're a completionist, like many of us are.

[01:29:43] And if you like what you're hearing, spoilers you should stop listening now and that brings us to the have his soul and then like have sex with Darla. There's a whole thing. And so I'm always like all set into motion. I'm like is Whistler actually good or

[01:32:26] Part of the agenda or does he not know he's part of an agenda? Yeah, he could be a pawn. I tend to think that he

[01:35:00] was just kind of makes me flash forward to being angry at Xander in season three. You know, once, you know, we see Kendra. Yes. That seems like a, that would be a really fun show. It's fascinating that one was, I think,

[01:35:05] is it orch because in the flashbacks, he has a little bit more of a gentle, um, higher class accent. And his current day accent is very like harsh and very intentionally sort of Sid Vicious-ish. Oh, yeah. comes into play in the series Angel. Yeah. Her arc on Angel is amazing. Fantastic. And I get so excited every time I see her in this episode because of what's new and seeing it just like, I don't know what it she just kind of oozes sexuality.

[01:40:20] Imagine how frustrating it must have been to go from, you know, this huge, like, powerful episode and then jump immediately to her being a witch. It's like Ted, like is it coming? Am I imagining it? Did it already happen or is that in season three, it may be in season three where she finds herself and Oz, these little pets, the Spencer's ones. That's right. And one's a wolf and one's a little witch.

[01:40:22] And it's so cute.

[01:40:23] Like I just, that storyline is gonna be pretty fantastic

[01:41:26] There's a reboot where we start from the beginning and Buffy starts high school again and meets Xander and Willow for the first time and in that one Kendra is

[01:41:30] like a real character and has some personality and stuff. I subscribe to

[01:41:35] there's a thing called Comexology I read on my iPads it's perfect for comic books

[01:41:41] to read on the iPad. Oh that's cool or something like that. Yeah. But the Buffyverse is just so expansive. There's novels out there. You know what? Are there any Buffy video games? I'm sort of surprised. I bet there. Now I'm going to Google it.

[01:43:01] Buffy video game.

[01:43:03] There has to be. wrote the story for the game. I don't have any video game consoles except I still have a circa 1984 Atari 2600. That's fantastic. Does it work? I think so. It's been a while since I've been able to hook it up to my TV because I don't

[01:44:22] have the right kind of adapter to goS, which is, you know, very, very short time period, I guess, in the 90s,

[01:45:40] but that sent me back.

[01:45:42] Yeah.

[01:45:43] I was like, holy.

[01:45:44] I'm a little too old for that.

[01:45:45] Pokemon?

[01:46:47] that episode too anyway. So I have that and then I need a Sunnydale High School sweatshirt. That is the next thing on my list and my high school, you know, they call with Sunnydale's

[01:46:53] SHS, my high school also was SHS. So I have a couple of things that look like...

[01:46:59] But they're not actual Sunnydale sweatshirts.

[01:47:00] But they're not. I always wanted a UC Sunnydale sweatshirt

[01:48:00] on my tree. That's the point.

[01:48:02] I saw your, I think it was on your Facebook or something

[01:48:06] where you had posted either a new ornament

[01:48:09] or shared something or like something,

[01:48:11] I don't know, somehow it came up on my Facebook news feed

[01:48:15] and it inspired me now that I am the only person living

[01:48:19] in my house and I have complete control

[01:48:21] over Christmas decorations to just start putting up

[01:48:26] all of my super nerdy ornaments Yeah, right? They all look like they've been like through something like an amputation machine. Seriously? Oh, that's horrible. Yeah, those are not going to my tree. Oh, that's funny. That's fair. My support. All right, that's enough tangents. I think we can wrap things up. Yeah. That's the complete end of our show. Thank you guys for listening if you've made it this far.