The Mayor is probably my favourite BTVS villain. Harry Groener is superb in the role, as you'll see more and more during the course of the season. When this was first broadcast in Germany, I also had the sneaking suspicion he was meant as a satire on Ronald Reagan. *g*
Scott: in season 7 we find out what happened to him, and how he explained his relationship with Buffy. I won't spoil you for that, but it's a very funny moment. And Faith's revenge makes me chuckle each time, too.
My other two favourite moments of Homecoming are probably Cordelia facing down the remaining Gorch brother, and Cordy telling Buffy she loves Xander, in her Cordelian way ("grows on you etc."). This is the first time we hear Cordelia admit it verbally, and of course it would be in the very episode Xander and Willow start to make out with each other.
Band Candy: yes, ASH, Kristine Sutherland and Armin Shimmerman definitely had a great time with this one. Some things worthy of note in addition to those you mentioned
( ... )
My other two favourite moments of Homecoming are probably Cordelia facing down the remaining Gorch brother, and Cordy telling Buffy she loves Xander, in her Cordelian way ("grows on you etc."). This is the first time we hear Cordelia admit it verbally, and of course it would be in the very episode Xander and Willow start to make out with each other.
Very true! Can't believe I forgot to mention this. I *loved* the scene with the Gorch brother and the scene where she admits her feelings for Xander.
Joyce and handcuffs: Very funny. Especially how she's so sneaky about it. And Buffy is so mortified. *g*
I watched episodes 9, 10 and 11 - and there's shirtless and/or tortured Angel every time. Amazing.
Xander is acting like a jerk here, but later on season 3 lets him suffer quite a lot for his actions, so in retrospect, I'm feeling mellow. However, this behaviour is one of the reasons why Xander getting slashed with either Angel or Spike doesn't work for me. He really, really dislikes and hates them (okay, Angel more than Spike),
( ... )
Anna S. is an excellent writer, but unfortunately two of the pairings she writes (Xander/Spike and Jack/Vaughn) happen to be the ones I am not only unable to see but actively loathe. Angel/Xander (which used to be popular back when they were on the same show) otoh is just in the "can't see it, is completely unlikely to me" category; don't know why the visceral dislike for the other combination (though of course I know why I consider it absolutely unlikely; once you've seen the later seasons, I'll tell you).
Come to think of it, Xander doesn't work for me in any slash combination. I love Xander/Cordelia and Xander/Anya, which are both canon, but the canon romance factor isn't an issue with other characters (can see Giles in various slash combinations, can see Angel in various slash combinations, can see Spike in various slash combinations... just not Xander).
I'm looking forward to reading more of your season 3 thoughts.
The stories of Anna S were well-written, but Xander/Spike is not a pairing that holds me attention.
You're right: Xander doesn't feel quite right in a slash pairing. To me, he just seems to be totally heterosexual. Not that this is something that cannot be ignored by slash *g*, but usually the character that is paired has more subtext. I get the feeling that Xander is only taken up in slash pairings, because he's handsome.
Angel/Xander totally doesn't work for me now. What Xander feels for him is not hate that's really unrecognised passion, it's active dislike.
I have a hard time finding fiction for Giles. All the stories I found are Giles/Ethan which is probably off-screen canon, but not something I want to read at the moment. Is there a good Giles fanfiction archive?
I remember, back watching all this for the first time, I was so right there with Xander. I just... hated Angel. He'd hurt Buffy and I couldn't understand why she would forgive him. The soul thing didn't matter so much to me at that point. He'd hurt my girl and I couldn't understand why they'd bring him back to life on the show when I just wanted him gone.
Of course, I didn't start liking Angel until the end of the fourth season of his own show.
Thanks for the different perspective; makes it easier for me to understand Xander.
Angel isn't my favorite character on the show, but I like how complex he is. I mean he has three different types of personality. :-) I also like that Angel with a soul is so introspective and quiet. He also forms a nice contrast to Spike's noisy personality.
I can understand that Xander hates Angel, but I cannot agree to the steps he takes. He can *talk* to Buffy (preferably without resorting to insults), but trying to kill Angel behind her back is totally unacceptable. It takes free will/choice from Buffy, turns her into a dainty little female that needs to be rescued by Xander Harris. It's like: She doesn't know what's good for her, so Xander makes it easier for her. If someone did something like this to me, I would most likely never trust them again.
Xander actually isn't an incredibly trusting guy. The funny thing about Xander is that his strengths and his weakness come from the same place. He's incredibly loyal.
That's why Buffy can trust him again. It's... one of the moments for me that sum it all up is in Dead Man's Party. Buffy and Xander are having a knock-out, drag-down fight, but the second that there's actual outside danger, Xander immediately offers his support to her and she has no problem accepting it
( ... )
After seeing some more episodes, I'm starting to like him again.
E.g. I find it totally courageous that he goes to Faith to confront her. Talking about such a difficult issue is not something you do if you don't have true courage.
I also enjoy his sense of humour. He can makes things terribly worse with a joke, but he can also lighten up a room or defuse a difficult situation. :-)
Oohh... It's great to see a new vision of old episodes. I friended you, hope you don't mind. We've got some interests in common, like Hot!Anakin... *whistles*
I never liked Faith in fact so I'm quite biased. As for Xander I completely understood his behavior but I was with Buffy all the way. Heh and B/A together was the cutest/most angsty thing ever. Season 3 is along with Season 2 my favorite anyway. Glad to see you're enjoying the show.
I'm not sure I would get along wiht Faith if she was a real person, but she's an interesting character. In fact, I'm liking her better now that I've seen some more episodes. She seems to be very insecure under the tough facade which appeals to my protective instinct. *g*
As for Xander: What he does somewhat upsets me, because loyalty in friendships is very important to me. I don't have many close friends, but all of my friendships are long-lasting, e.g. I've been friends with me oldest friend for 29 years. Being loyal doesn't mean to me to agree on everything, to never state your opinion or argue. In fact, I find it very important to be honest in a friendship; my friends and I have certain views in common, whereas we strongly disagree on other things. What I couldn't accept, is if one of my friends acted big time behind my back. And Xander trying to take out Angel behind Buffy's back is a huge betrayal, IMO.
Thanks! As for Xander I believe he thought he was being a friend by getting rid of Angel. I suppose he thought that in the long term Buffy would accept it or something. But again, I guess he was more blinded by hatred than anything else.
Oh yes, I know Xander is *meaning* well. I'm just dreadfully wary of well-meaning people. Noone can hurt you as much as well-meaning people, in my experience.
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Scott: in season 7 we find out what happened to him, and how he explained his relationship with Buffy. I won't spoil you for that, but it's a very funny moment. And Faith's revenge makes me chuckle each time, too.
My other two favourite moments of Homecoming are probably Cordelia facing down the remaining Gorch brother, and Cordy telling Buffy she loves Xander, in her Cordelian way ("grows on you etc."). This is the first time we hear Cordelia admit it verbally, and of course it would be in the very episode Xander and Willow start to make out with each other.
Band Candy: yes, ASH, Kristine Sutherland and Armin Shimmerman definitely had a great time with this one. Some things worthy of note in addition to those you mentioned ( ... )
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Very true! Can't believe I forgot to mention this. I *loved* the scene with the Gorch brother and the scene where she admits her feelings for Xander.
Joyce and handcuffs: Very funny. Especially how she's so sneaky about it. And Buffy is so mortified. *g*
I watched episodes 9, 10 and 11 - and there's shirtless and/or tortured Angel every time. Amazing.
Xander is acting like a jerk here, but later on season 3 lets him suffer quite a lot for his actions, so in retrospect, I'm feeling mellow. However, this behaviour is one of the reasons why Xander getting slashed with either Angel or Spike doesn't work for me. He really, really dislikes and hates them (okay, Angel more than Spike), ( ... )
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Come to think of it, Xander doesn't work for me in any slash combination. I love Xander/Cordelia and Xander/Anya, which are both canon, but the canon romance factor isn't an issue with other characters (can see Giles in various slash combinations, can see Angel in various slash combinations, can see Spike in various slash combinations... just not Xander).
I'm looking forward to reading more of your season 3 thoughts.
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You're right: Xander doesn't feel quite right in a slash pairing. To me, he just seems to be totally heterosexual. Not that this is something that cannot be ignored by slash *g*, but usually the character that is paired has more subtext. I get the feeling that Xander is only taken up in slash pairings, because he's handsome.
Angel/Xander totally doesn't work for me now. What Xander feels for him is not hate that's really unrecognised passion, it's active dislike.
I have a hard time finding fiction for Giles. All the stories I found are Giles/Ethan which is probably off-screen canon, but not something I want to read at the moment. Is there a good Giles fanfiction archive?
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Of course, I didn't start liking Angel until the end of the fourth season of his own show.
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Angel isn't my favorite character on the show, but I like how complex he is. I mean he has three different types of personality. :-) I also like that Angel with a soul is so introspective and quiet. He also forms a nice contrast to Spike's noisy personality.
I can understand that Xander hates Angel, but I cannot agree to the steps he takes. He can *talk* to Buffy (preferably without resorting to insults), but trying to kill Angel behind her back is totally unacceptable. It takes free will/choice from Buffy, turns her into a dainty little female that needs to be rescued by Xander Harris. It's like: She doesn't know what's good for her, so Xander makes it easier for her.
If someone did something like this to me, I would most likely never trust them again.
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That's why Buffy can trust him again. It's... one of the moments for me that sum it all up is in Dead Man's Party. Buffy and Xander are having a knock-out, drag-down fight, but the second that there's actual outside danger, Xander immediately offers his support to her and she has no problem accepting it ( ... )
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E.g. I find it totally courageous that he goes to Faith to confront her. Talking about such a difficult issue is not something you do if you don't have true courage.
I also enjoy his sense of humour. He can makes things terribly worse with a joke, but he can also lighten up a room or defuse a difficult situation. :-)
Reply
I never liked Faith in fact so I'm quite biased. As for Xander I completely understood his behavior but I was with Buffy all the way. Heh and B/A together was the cutest/most angsty thing ever. Season 3 is along with Season 2 my favorite anyway. Glad to see you're enjoying the show.
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I'm not sure I would get along wiht Faith if she was a real person, but she's an interesting character. In fact, I'm liking her better now that I've seen some more episodes. She seems to be very insecure under the tough facade which appeals to my protective instinct. *g*
As for Xander: What he does somewhat upsets me, because loyalty in friendships is very important to me. I don't have many close friends, but all of my friendships are long-lasting, e.g. I've been friends with me oldest friend for 29 years. Being loyal doesn't mean to me to agree on everything, to never state your opinion or argue. In fact, I find it very important to be honest in a friendship; my friends and I have certain views in common, whereas we strongly disagree on other things.
What I couldn't accept, is if one of my friends acted big time behind my back. And Xander trying to take out Angel behind Buffy's back is a huge betrayal, IMO.
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