Episodes in Focus: The Yoko Factor and War Zone
Welcome back and let's move on to the season finales - exciting times! This week’s Episodes in Focus are The Yoko Factor and War Zone, where togetherness and isolation, friendship and solitude are huge issues. So from Monday your time, get posting any art, fic, vids, recs, meta or anything else you want to share relating to one or both of our Episodes in Focus.
Episode in Focus: The Yoko Factor
The cracks are starting to show (and I'm not just talking about Adam's surgical staples…). Our core Scoobies aren't quite so close as they were, and in this episode Spike inserts a few verbal levers into those cracks and heaves. The results are not pretty. What could make this more enjoyable for our Scoobies? An Angel vs Riley testosterone-off contest? Or introducing Miss Kitty Fantastico? Or, a personal favourite here, discovering Adam likes Helter Skelter? Or Riley losing an old friend, and then turning out to be (apparently) kind of a robot…? No, wait, that bit's no fun at all.
Key quote:
Spike: Hmm, year supply of blood, guaranteed protection, merry bushels of cash, and, most important . . . a guarantee that I'm not to be in anyway slain.
Giles: Done.
Spike: With a smile and a nod from you? Sorry. Not close to good enough. This deal's with the Slayer.
Giles: I'll tell her.
Spike: Oh, you'll tell her! Great comfort that. What makes you think she'll listen to you?
Giles: Because . . . (trails off, unsure)
Spike: Very convincing.
Giles: I'm her Watcher.
Spike: I think you're neglecting the past tense there, Rupert. Besides, she barely listened to you when you were in charge. I've seen the way she treats you.
Giles: Oh, yes? And how's that?
Spike: Very much like a retired librarian.
*
Theme prompt: To Friend, or Not to Friend?
So we meet Charles Gunn this week, and without any supernatural power he's one of the most impressive civilians we'll ever see in the Jossverse - working with his friends to save as many lives as possible. Meanwhile, we see Buffy alone, bitterly accepting that there's no such thing as a prophecy about a Slayer and her friends. So our theme this week is strength in numbers - or strength alone. Do with it whatever you like!
*
Episode in Focus: War Zone
There's a new gang in town. That would be Angel's, because it turns out Charles Gunn and friends have been protecting LA for a lot longer than our vampire newbie. This episode shows us the danger and misery of their lives and the tragedy of Alonna, which - we guess - never fully leaves him.
We also, meet David Nabbit, the sidekick that never was, and get a funny demon brothel plot on the side of Gunn's serious fight. This would be a good time to think about the what ifs - if Nabbit's character had become a recurring fixture, what might the Angelverse have looked like?
Key quote:
Alonna: "Gunn, we need to talk."
Gunn: "Yeah, what of?"
Alonna: "What happened to Bobby..."
Gunn: "No! No. We don't talk about that. That's done."
Alonna: "We're dying here, Gunn."
Gunn: "Everybody dies. I'm just trying to make sure that when we die, we stay dead."
*
Meanwhile, over at still_grrr, the month's theme is Valentines: see this week's selection here
*
Episode in Focus: The Yoko Factor
The cracks are starting to show (and I'm not just talking about Adam's surgical staples…). Our core Scoobies aren't quite so close as they were, and in this episode Spike inserts a few verbal levers into those cracks and heaves. The results are not pretty. What could make this more enjoyable for our Scoobies? An Angel vs Riley testosterone-off contest? Or introducing Miss Kitty Fantastico? Or, a personal favourite here, discovering Adam likes Helter Skelter? Or Riley losing an old friend, and then turning out to be (apparently) kind of a robot…? No, wait, that bit's no fun at all.
Key quote:
Spike: Hmm, year supply of blood, guaranteed protection, merry bushels of cash, and, most important . . . a guarantee that I'm not to be in anyway slain.
Giles: Done.
Spike: With a smile and a nod from you? Sorry. Not close to good enough. This deal's with the Slayer.
Giles: I'll tell her.
Spike: Oh, you'll tell her! Great comfort that. What makes you think she'll listen to you?
Giles: Because . . . (trails off, unsure)
Spike: Very convincing.
Giles: I'm her Watcher.
Spike: I think you're neglecting the past tense there, Rupert. Besides, she barely listened to you when you were in charge. I've seen the way she treats you.
Giles: Oh, yes? And how's that?
Spike: Very much like a retired librarian.
*
Theme prompt: To Friend, or Not to Friend?
So we meet Charles Gunn this week, and without any supernatural power he's one of the most impressive civilians we'll ever see in the Jossverse - working with his friends to save as many lives as possible. Meanwhile, we see Buffy alone, bitterly accepting that there's no such thing as a prophecy about a Slayer and her friends. So our theme this week is strength in numbers - or strength alone. Do with it whatever you like!
*
Episode in Focus: War Zone
There's a new gang in town. That would be Angel's, because it turns out Charles Gunn and friends have been protecting LA for a lot longer than our vampire newbie. This episode shows us the danger and misery of their lives and the tragedy of Alonna, which - we guess - never fully leaves him.
We also, meet David Nabbit, the sidekick that never was, and get a funny demon brothel plot on the side of Gunn's serious fight. This would be a good time to think about the what ifs - if Nabbit's character had become a recurring fixture, what might the Angelverse have looked like?
Key quote:
Alonna: "Gunn, we need to talk."
Gunn: "Yeah, what of?"
Alonna: "What happened to Bobby..."
Gunn: "No! No. We don't talk about that. That's done."
Alonna: "We're dying here, Gunn."
Gunn: "Everybody dies. I'm just trying to make sure that when we die, we stay dead."
*
Meanwhile, over at still_grrr, the month's theme is Valentines: see this week's selection here
*