BTVS S1E12
So I'm finally getting around to writing up my thoughts on the rest of first season BTVS we're up to S2 ep 1, but I'm just rambling about the s1 finale here.
This is probably the strongest ep of the season and I've no doubt we had to go through the whole season to get here and it was defintiely worth it. We find Buffy just beginning to claim her identity as a slayer for the first time here. She's no longer resisting she's resigned to her fate, not quite to acceptance yet that comes later. After she's been killed and resuscitated, she's stronger than she realized, she can handle death why can't she handle life? So she goes and kicks butt and it's quite awesome.
Xander mans up the courage to ask Buffy out and we see just how young he is with his reaction to her rejection. We see quite a few instances of Xander's darker side in season one, he has the potential to be cruel and yet he isn't which is really what makes me like him, that he chooses to be a nice guy. This doesn't mean he doesn't have a lot of growing up to do as we see in the Season Two finale, but we see he's going to grow up every now and then with a glimpse at maturity like when he goes to Angel of all people for help. The thing about Xander is that once you're on his bad side, you're permanently on his bad side.
Cordelia begins what will be the path to maturity and full time Scoobyhood in this episode. She finally has been clued in to what's going on and she sees something bigger than herself for once. She sees a way to make a difference in the world. Perhaps most importantly though, she sees power, unlike the kind she has wielded for years and Cordelia has always been attracted to power.
Giles is oddly enough the character who goes through the most development in this episode. He starts to really throw off the shell of the scholar that he took on as a result of his experiences with Eyghon. The order he has so long sought is no longer enough and he has to decide what to do about that. Giles chooses to act in ways he hasn't in a very long time. He starts to realize he sees Buffy as more than a slayer but as a person, a child he cannot send to her death, it kinda sneaks up on him and he's not comfortable with it but he will be.
Willow stands up for herself in this epi like no other in Season 1. Her serious crush on Xander is more than apparent and while Xander proves himself callous enough to use that crush to his advantage, Willow shoots his invitation down. She won't be anyone's substitute, showing us the spunk we know lies within.
Angel and Jenny are still very much periphery characters here, we don't really know anything about them and it'll be like that for a while yet, we don't get much from Angel until ATS.
This is probably the strongest ep of the season and I've no doubt we had to go through the whole season to get here and it was defintiely worth it. We find Buffy just beginning to claim her identity as a slayer for the first time here. She's no longer resisting she's resigned to her fate, not quite to acceptance yet that comes later. After she's been killed and resuscitated, she's stronger than she realized, she can handle death why can't she handle life? So she goes and kicks butt and it's quite awesome.
Xander mans up the courage to ask Buffy out and we see just how young he is with his reaction to her rejection. We see quite a few instances of Xander's darker side in season one, he has the potential to be cruel and yet he isn't which is really what makes me like him, that he chooses to be a nice guy. This doesn't mean he doesn't have a lot of growing up to do as we see in the Season Two finale, but we see he's going to grow up every now and then with a glimpse at maturity like when he goes to Angel of all people for help. The thing about Xander is that once you're on his bad side, you're permanently on his bad side.
Cordelia begins what will be the path to maturity and full time Scoobyhood in this episode. She finally has been clued in to what's going on and she sees something bigger than herself for once. She sees a way to make a difference in the world. Perhaps most importantly though, she sees power, unlike the kind she has wielded for years and Cordelia has always been attracted to power.
Giles is oddly enough the character who goes through the most development in this episode. He starts to really throw off the shell of the scholar that he took on as a result of his experiences with Eyghon. The order he has so long sought is no longer enough and he has to decide what to do about that. Giles chooses to act in ways he hasn't in a very long time. He starts to realize he sees Buffy as more than a slayer but as a person, a child he cannot send to her death, it kinda sneaks up on him and he's not comfortable with it but he will be.
Willow stands up for herself in this epi like no other in Season 1. Her serious crush on Xander is more than apparent and while Xander proves himself callous enough to use that crush to his advantage, Willow shoots his invitation down. She won't be anyone's substitute, showing us the spunk we know lies within.
Angel and Jenny are still very much periphery characters here, we don't really know anything about them and it'll be like that for a while yet, we don't get much from Angel until ATS.