*Note: Because there is too much that each of us want to write about, we are BOTH doing the write-up for Becoming Parts 1 and 2. Sarah is in white font, Kali is in gray italics. Let the fun begin!
Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Xander joins the swim team and almost turns into a fish monster because of the steroids being pumped into the steam room. We now join our friends in a completely different setting, ignoring the last episode entirely, to find Buffy and Xander in a graveyard discussing Buffy's upcoming battle with Angel in which she will be killing him. And now back to our show...
Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Xander joins the swim team and almost turns into a fish monster because of the steroids being pumped into the steam room. We now join our friends in a completely different setting, ignoring the last episode entirely, to find Buffy and Xander in a graveyard discussing Buffy's upcoming battle with Angel in which she will be killing him. And now back to our show...
We start the episode with some Angel back-story. Galway 1753. He meets Darla in a dark alley, where all classy women hang out and they have a conversation that goes something like this:
Angel: You're sexy. Do you wanna have sex with me?
Darla: Maybe, do you mind if I'm very creepy before we do anything though?
Angel: As long as I get some, you can do whatever you want baby. Where you from?
Darla: Around, wanna see the world with me?
Angel: K
Darla: *cires Angel*
Again, I really enjoy the narration, this time done by a new character we are introduced to in the form of Whistler. He talks about moments that define us and change our lives without us knowing it, referring to Angel right now, but also to what Buffy has to do in the next episode. FYI, Whistler was originally designed to be the Doyle character on Angel.
Angel: You're sexy. Do you wanna have sex with me?
Darla: Maybe, do you mind if I'm very creepy before we do anything though?
Angel: As long as I get some, you can do whatever you want baby. Where you from?
Darla: Around, wanna see the world with me?
Angel: K
Darla: *cires Angel*
Again, I really enjoy the narration, this time done by a new character we are introduced to in the form of Whistler. He talks about moments that define us and change our lives without us knowing it, referring to Angel right now, but also to what Buffy has to do in the next episode. FYI, Whistler was originally designed to be the Doyle character on Angel.
Then we see Edward Angel, like a creeper, watching Buffy as she slays vampires and talks about how she's ready to kill Angel. She then talks with Xander about finals and says "it'll all be over soon." To which Angel says, like a creeper, "oh yes it will, my love."
I get what Buffy is feeling here. I'm sure there have been a lot of times in our lives where there are things that we don't want to do, but have to do and the only thing driving us towards doing them is just to get it over with. Buffy doesn't want to kill Angelus. I'm sure she'd much prefer to have her boyfriend back, but as far as she knows right now that is not going to happen. Just like ripping off a Band-Aid only about a million times worse. You know it'll hurt, but it has to happen, so just do it quick and it'll be done.
We are now introduced to some sort of ancient artifact which is obviously bad since it's always bad. Giles notices that it's something that can be opened, but he says not to open it until he transcribes the writing. The curator asks if Giles wants to be surprised. No Giles doesn't wanna be suprised, it's probably something that will try and eat your soul. Nothing good can come from this.
I get what Buffy is feeling here. I'm sure there have been a lot of times in our lives where there are things that we don't want to do, but have to do and the only thing driving us towards doing them is just to get it over with. Buffy doesn't want to kill Angelus. I'm sure she'd much prefer to have her boyfriend back, but as far as she knows right now that is not going to happen. Just like ripping off a Band-Aid only about a million times worse. You know it'll hurt, but it has to happen, so just do it quick and it'll be done.
We are now introduced to some sort of ancient artifact which is obviously bad since it's always bad. Giles notices that it's something that can be opened, but he says not to open it until he transcribes the writing. The curator asks if Giles wants to be surprised. No Giles doesn't wanna be suprised, it's probably something that will try and eat your soul. Nothing good can come from this.
Back at the school, adorableness ensues with Xander reenacting the slayage with fish sticks and Willow sitting on Oz's lap. The adorableness of Willow continues when Principal Snyder comes in and asks if there's been a chair shortage to which she says “I didn’t read anything about—oh *moves off of Oz’s lap*”
"I think you'd sweat cute blood" That's semi-creepy but Oz saying it is adorable too.
"I think you'd sweat cute blood" That's semi-creepy but Oz saying it is adorable too.
Adorable Willow is adorable
I also need to give Cordelia a high-five for what she says behind Principal Snyder's back here, not just for what she says, but for the fact that it's in defense of Buffy, "How about because you're a tiny impotent Nazi with a bug up his butt the size of an emu?" Way to defend your friends, Cordy!
And now more Angel back story. London, 1860. We see Drusilla in confession with Angel, since he just murdered the priest, talking about how worried she is that she's evil. Angel, always the helpful guy, tells her that she’s a spawn of Satan and that she needs to “give in” and be evil. Way to be a jerk, dude.
Until this rewatch, I always just enjoyed Drusilla for her insanity and the random things she said. Now that I've come to think about characters more, I feel so horribly bad for her. She is trying to be a good Cathlotic girl.
"I don't want to be an evil thing"
"Be evil. Just give in."
"I want to be good. I want to be pure."
You gotta feel bad for her. At least from what we've learned about vampires, the demon takes her body but doesn't get her soul. Then we cut from human Drusilla to her now, to see what Angelus has turned her into.
Now, Angelus is all over Drusilla. Does he do it to piss Spike off or because he wants someone in his life? Last time he was around these two, he had Darla with him. Other than the obvious excuse of "Angelus is just an evil asshole and wants to make Spike angry", I think I have another entirely plausable reason. Angelus is hiding his feelings for Spike. Believe me, even Joss says that there is something between them. If you watch it from that perspective, it all makes perfect sense.
While studying with Willow, Buffy drops her pencil and has déjà vu. She drops the pencil again to see why and finds a floppy disc. They put it in and see that it has a translation Ms. Calendar was working on to restore Angel with his soul. Then we go back to flashbackyness and see the moment in which Angel gains his soul and experiences true suffering over all he’s done as Angelus. Rumanian Woods, 1898. It's sort of sad...
And now more Angel back story. London, 1860. We see Drusilla in confession with Angel, since he just murdered the priest, talking about how worried she is that she's evil. Angel, always the helpful guy, tells her that she’s a spawn of Satan and that she needs to “give in” and be evil. Way to be a jerk, dude.
Until this rewatch, I always just enjoyed Drusilla for her insanity and the random things she said. Now that I've come to think about characters more, I feel so horribly bad for her. She is trying to be a good Cathlotic girl.
"I don't want to be an evil thing"
"Be evil. Just give in."
"I want to be good. I want to be pure."
You gotta feel bad for her. At least from what we've learned about vampires, the demon takes her body but doesn't get her soul. Then we cut from human Drusilla to her now, to see what Angelus has turned her into.
Now, Angelus is all over Drusilla. Does he do it to piss Spike off or because he wants someone in his life? Last time he was around these two, he had Darla with him. Other than the obvious excuse of "Angelus is just an evil asshole and wants to make Spike angry", I think I have another entirely plausable reason. Angelus is hiding his feelings for Spike. Believe me, even Joss says that there is something between them. If you watch it from that perspective, it all makes perfect sense.
 |
| No one understands our man-love. |
Sad Angel is sad
Taking after Angel now, Xander becomes dick!Xander. Willow tells the scoobies that she might be able to work some magic, literally, and work Ms. Calendar's spell to restore Angel's soul. Giles to Willow: "Channeling such potent magics through yourself could be opening a door you won't be able to close" Yup, that's pretty much what happens. To which Xander freaks the hell out and starts telling Buffy she's only doing this so she can forget about Ms. Calendar's murder and bring her boyfriend back. When Giles tries to reason with him, he reaches a new level of jerkiness and yells that Jenny's dead.
Jerky Xander is a jerk
From this point on, Xander will now be referred to as AX (Asshole Xander) until he does something overwhelmingly redeeming, so it might be awhile. This is what I have to say to you AX. You are a big asshole right now. I know your tiny brain may not get this, but it wasn't Angel that did all those things, it was Angelus. Hey remember that time you tried to rape Buffy and ate a pig? Yeah, that's right, shut your cake hole hypocrite. Ooo, and Cordelia supports him, that's your first clue that he's obviously wrong. Fuck you AX, FUCK. YOU. Buffy just wants her boyfriend back? How about you just want him dead because you're a jealous asshole? I hate your face. </rant>
“Willow, where did you learn that word?” *giggles*
“Can’t wait to tell my friends, they don’t have a rock this big”- Spike <3 SPIKE FOREVER.
Oh, I forgot about this tomb thing because it wasn't interesting at all until now. Basically, construction workers found this Tomb of some difficult name; I’m going with Buffy though so the thing is now going to be called the Tomb of Alfalfa. So Giles was trying to work on translating it but before he could work it out Angelus and Drusilla stole it. After learning that it was stolen, we learn that the Tomb of Alfalfa will send the whole world into Hell which isn't the best news in the world...
Acathla is going to suck the world into hell. Even if you are evil, why would want this?
Also, on the theme of moments defining who you are, what Angelus says here really fits, just not in the way he's thinking. "Everything that I am, everything that I have done, has led me here."
Acathla is going to suck the world into hell. Even if you are evil, why would want this?
Also, on the theme of moments defining who you are, what Angelus says here really fits, just not in the way he's thinking. "Everything that I am, everything that I have done, has led me here."
“Of course if we go to hell by then I won’t have to take them. Or I’ll be taking them forever” –Buffy
More back story! Whistler, who was actually Rune in Gilmore Girls; I spent most of this trying to figure out who he was! Anyways, he takes Angel to go see Buffy on the day she was chosen. He hears the council talking to her in a very creepy way, might I add. Perhaps the council should work on sounding less crazy their first time meeting the new Slayer. I thought the exact same thing, STAY OUT OF MY HEAD SARAH!
"You must save the world from vampires, even though you didn't know they existed until just now. I'm not insane. Do you like my mustache?"
Don't potential Slayers get trained too? We see that more in Season 7, but there are hundreds of Watchers for... one Slayer? No, some potential Slayers have Watchers. And how do they find out whose a potential Slayer? On that same thought, how do they even find out who is a Slayer? Is there are magic book that writes there names in it like in Harry Potter? I do remember Giles talking about "seers" working with the council, so maybe that? I NEED ANSWERS.
After watching her reaction to becoming chosen, Angel asks Whistler to become his Yoda so he can learn from him of ways to help her. Which is cute, and creepy, especially since Whistler comments by saying that "she must be cuter than the last one." SHE'S A TEENAGER AND HE'S OVER TWO CENTURIES OLD!
After watching her reaction to becoming chosen, Angel asks Whistler to become his Yoda so he can learn from him of ways to help her. Which is cute, and creepy, especially since Whistler comments by saying that "she must be cuter than the last one." SHE'S A TEENAGER AND HE'S OVER TWO CENTURIES OLD!
*in a sing song voice* “Someone wasn’t worthy”-Spike
In class, a suicide vampire relays her message from Angel to Buffy that she must meet him to fight or more will die. How can you convince someone to just kill themselves, especially a soulless vampire? Never knowing a trap when she sees one, Buffy goes to meet him leaving the gang in Kendra's protection. She doesn't want to risk him killing more people? How will he kill more people if you don't show up? I mean, he's been killing lots of people already and NOW you are concerned? They both sort of have an adorable Slayer bonding moment and Kendra gives Buffy Mr. Pointy.
D'awww. The Slayers bonding over stakes; how adorable.
Buffy meets Angelus in the cemetary just like old times.
Angelus: "I was hoping we could get back together." Oh I am going to miss your funniness, Angelus.
Hey look Buffy, the trap is a trap.
"And you fall for it every single time!" Indeed she does Angel, indeed she does.
We get our first glimpse at the other powers that Drusilla has. Not only does she have visions of the future, but she can hypnotize someone as powerful as a Slayer. Kendra is killed in a way, like Jenny, to show that she won't be coming back as a vampire. Although this sounds morbid, it's a waste of Slayer blood. I mean, Spike talks about how powerful Slayer blood is, so Drusilla really should have drank from her. Just sayin'.
After a few minutes of fighting, Angel lets Buffy in on the fact that “this wasn’t about her” and she races back to the library. Sadness ensues as we see Buffy racing in slow motion, with no sound backing her up, to the library to see the remains of the awefulness that took place. The first thing she sees when she runs in in Kendra dead on the floor. As she's mourning over her body, we see a gun and here a guy yell “freeze.”
Angelus: "I was hoping we could get back together." Oh I am going to miss your funniness, Angelus.
Hey look Buffy, the trap is a trap.
"And you fall for it every single time!" Indeed she does Angel, indeed she does.
We get our first glimpse at the other powers that Drusilla has. Not only does she have visions of the future, but she can hypnotize someone as powerful as a Slayer. Kendra is killed in a way, like Jenny, to show that she won't be coming back as a vampire. Although this sounds morbid, it's a waste of Slayer blood. I mean, Spike talks about how powerful Slayer blood is, so Drusilla really should have drank from her. Just sayin'.
After a few minutes of fighting, Angel lets Buffy in on the fact that “this wasn’t about her” and she races back to the library. Sadness ensues as we see Buffy racing in slow motion, with no sound backing her up, to the library to see the remains of the awefulness that took place. The first thing she sees when she runs in in Kendra dead on the floor. As she's mourning over her body, we see a gun and here a guy yell “freeze.”
Worst. Timing. Ever.
As this episode comes to a close, we get more narrative from Whistler. I love when Joss does narrations, he's just so damn good at it.
"Bottom line is- even if you see them coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does."
"It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are."
"It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are."
Even though this is Part 1, the episode is actually able to stand on its own, where usually when Joss write a 2- parter, the first part isn't that great because all it does is set up the second part. This time it sets up Part 2, but has a good story giving us so much information on Angel as a character.
To be continued…
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