So, I’ve been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as all seven seasons are available on LoveFilm Instant now. It’s been fun re-living memories of my misspent youth watching bad TV. The show isn’t terrible – in fact, bits of it are quite fun, even occasionally clever. But, if my memory serves, the show does begin to drag. It’s already become fairly ‘sitcom-y’, and there has already been some lazy plot twists to further the story i.e. the ‘techno-pagan’/teacher (shudders) Jenny suddenly having a secret Gypsy back story because it’s convenient for her to have one and explain shit about Angel.
But anyway, it’s season three episode two I want to talk about right now.
The episode is called Dead Man’s Party – it features Buffy returning home, trying to ‘gauge’ where she stands with all her loved ones, alongside the main plot of an evil mask that makes zombies from dead people.
All off Buffy’s friends in this episode – particularly Xander and Willow, treat Buffy horribly. I understand they are annoyed that Buffy left without telling anyone and hasn’t been in touch – but there’s a certain point where ‘annoyed’ becomes ‘being a dick because I want to.’
I mean…it’s not like Buffy was expelled from school. Or that Buffy’s mother threw her out the house after reacting poorly to finding out that Buffy is a slayer. It’s not like she had to stab her boyfriend/ex-boyfriend/arch enemy Angel through the chest. Said boyfriend/ex-boyfriend/arch enemy that had been emotionally and physically torturing Buffy for months now. It’s not like she saved the world…again.
Oh wait…all of that did happen at the end of season two.
Yeah…Buffy needs some new friends, doesn’t she? As the episode was prrogressing I couldn’t help be feel…annoyed at the complete departure from sanity. At the end of season two I do recall all of Buffy’s friends talking about how they’d love it if Buffy came back to school (even though she can’t) but they were totally fine with her needing space considering everything that happened. That sentiment was thrown out the window. Instead Xander is whining about how Buffy being gone means they have to protect themselves…yeah, because just moving to a different town isn’t an option. And Willow bitches about how she had no one to ‘confide’ in (read complain to).
*sigh*
As someone else online (as I couldn’t believe this episode when I watched it and had to check other people’s reactions) I get the feeling Dead Man’s Party will put me off Xander and Willow for quite a while – what with them having acted like total douche-bags, and there being no actual resolution of them being total dicks at the end.
I plan on watching the rest of Buffy, and then watching Angel (which is also available on LoveFilm Instant now.) Ah, memories.