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Season 2, Episode 6: Halloween

31 October 2016

In this episode!

  • We discuss the rules of Vampire Entry (thanks, Jessica Branch!), and Mark calls for constitutional rights for vampires.
  • Mark and Katherine come up with reasons for why the Scoobies don’t have PTSD.
  • Mark says Ethan Raine is the Linda Tripp of the Buffyverse; Mark loves Ethan, and Katherine can’t stand him.
  • Katherine has zero aesthetic distance. Where do our listeners stand on this?
  • We wonder along with Willow—how does Angel shave? Also, Mark wonders how Spike’s lackey was able to film a vampire fight?
  • Mark’s favorite moment: when Xander beats up the pirate and says that it was strangely satisfying and brought him closure.
  • Mark says that “Snyder is in on it.”
  • Katherine shares the tidbit that Buffy calls out to Xena the Warrior Princess, and in turn, an episode of Xena did a shout out to Buffy.
  • Mark says that Buffy does what very few shows do and that is to change the rules of narrativity frequently. Watchers of the show might be left in confusion for as long as 20 minutes before things click into place. Katherine points out that Whedon is one of the show runners credited with trusting viewers to live with confusion and figure things out over time. We both agree this makes for a very rich show.
  • Katherine wonders if the listeners agree that Halloween is a wonderful holiday filled with magic and mystery  and “dressing as you aren’t.” Mark says this about Halloween: “eh.”

Note: By the way, Mark is right about The Prisoner. He is number 6.

Shout outs

  • Jessica Branch
  • Andy Schumann

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Season 2, Episode 5: Reptile Boy

30 October 2016

In this episode!

  • We love the opening with the mysterious young woman being chased by what looks like monks. That girl is awesome!
  • We also love seeing Buffy and Xander braiding Willow’s hair while Willow “interprets” Bollywood for them. Xander’s side is much better than Buffy’s.
  • Katherine asks Mark whether he thinks people have a purpose or not. We wonder, what do our listeners think? Is Giles right that Buffy should be grateful because she has a purpose? Do any of our listeners feel that they have a purpose? Do any of our listeners have a job for Katherine? Thanks in advance.
  • Mark says, this is clearly an episode about rape culture.
  • Katherine says, this is clearly an episode about class.
  • Katherine thinks that one of the Buffy themes has to be, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and beware of “nice” guys.
  • Mark says, why can’t we all just live and let live in terms of religious freedom?
  • Katherine hates privilege and entitlement which is why she loves this episode which is clearly a precursor to a socialist revolution.

Shout out

David Nom De Plume

Fun facts

  • The woman who nearly escapes at the beginning of the episode is Jordana Spiro, as Callie. I don’t know why she hasn’t made a greater stamp in television. I loved her character.
  • One of the frat boys, one of the evil evil ones, was Coby Bell who later would be a main character on one of Katherine’s favorite shows, Burn Notice.

Resources

The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren

Flow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (TED talk)

The Panama Papers

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Season 2, Episode 4: Inca Mummy Girl

25 October 2016

In this episode!

  • We think the writers have an awesome ear for teen romance angst, and do a great job showing the awkwardness of it.
  • We love Willow’s dorkiness.
  • Mark reveals something shocking, and it has to do with The Brady Bunch. Mark says, run out and watch the Tiki episode.
  • Katherine wonders if there needs to be a Brady Bunch podcast (OK, that’s a joke).
  • Katherine likes the complexity of Xander—that he has a crush on Buffy, and at the same time thinks of her as his best friend, and at the same time, is her right hand man. What is wrong with that? So many other Buffy fans hate this about Xander.
  • The world isn’t black and white; we love that Buffy sees the gray.
  • Mark loves the guy who wonders about the girl in the Eskimo outfit.
  • Is Joyce being mean to Buffy in terms of the “not fitting in” comment? We think so.
  • What do you make of Buffy not seizing the leadership role? Katherine thinks she is the emotionally torn teenage girl, whereas Mark thinks Buffy should be pushing herself forward. Where do you stand?
  • We meet Jonathan (Danny Strong). Katherine says it is a great way to meet him.

Shout out to Warren Shaver!

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Season 2, Episode 3: School Hard

12 October 2016

In this episode

  • “Squee! Spike!” said Katherine.
  • Mark is not as innocent as he appears.
  • Mark observes that “Snyder knows something.”
  • Katherine says that the Hellmouth is a really great place if you are evil or magically inclined.
  • Questions for the listeners: Does Drusilla really hate Sunnydale? Does Buffy have blinders on? Does anyone know if Whedon is an atheist?
  • In a moment of crisis, people want someone who will take charge. Mark shares a story of when he became “the Buffy person.” Katherine’s Buffy Moment was the GOTV for the 2008 Obama campaign.
  • Sometimes, we both agree, Joyce sucks as a mom.
  • Mark notes that it is SPIKE (squee!!!!) who gets that Buffy doesn’t do this alone.
  • Katherine points out yet again that Xander always has Buffy’s back.
  • Katherine filled Mark in on the reason behind the Buffy writers getting rid of the Anointed One. Katherine and Mark then ponder, what would have high school been like if the the Anointed One had been enrolled? Good times.
  • Mark, fashion police: Big hair look on Buffy is bad. Cordelia looked good and mature.
  • Katherine  talks about the significance of crosses since vampires precede Christ. Hmmm.
  • Mark is interested in the competitiveness between Angel and Spike, esp. the Uncle Tom reference.
  • Vampires have a very complex culture, and we love the complications.
  • Mark makes a discovery that I haven’t seen elsewhere. One of the books in the library is Reunion by Tom Hayden.
  • Katherine talks about Carol Gilligan and how it can be used as support that Buffy is a feminist text.
  • Mark says: You might see Giles as lawful good; Spike as chaotic evil; and Buffy as chaotic good. Katherine loves this, but challenges Mark on Spike and Buffy. What do you think, listeners?

Resources

Carol Gilligan In a Different Voice;  Reunion by Tom Hayden

Shout outs

Jessica Branch and Paula Corrao

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Season 2, episode 2: Some Assembly Required

04 October 2016

Friends of this podcast! We are now available on Itunes!

In this episode:

  • Has anyone out there read Frankenstein? If so, do you have any thoughts or questions about it? We are hoping to have a little extra episode that discusses this great novel.
  • Mark sings the Temptations!
  • We liked (even possibly loved) this episode despite all the haters in podcast land. Katherine thought it was perhaps the funniest Buffy episode ever!
  • We do not think this was an anti-feminist episode.
  • Mark thinks that Buffy could be attracted to Xander. He bases this on “When She Was Bad” and continuing to the chemistry between Buffy and Xander in this episode. Katherine is strangely silent on this issue. 😉
  • Katherine has said all along that Xander is her favorite character so far. Mark seems to concur when he says, “What is sexier then rescuing someone from a burning building?”
  • We love Giles and Jenny’s first date, and Giles’ slur on American masculinity.
  • Katherine’s favorite moment in this episode and one of her favorites for the show thus far is the crackling, tension-filled exchange between Xander and Angel in the library.
  • Mark questions Angel’s “obvious” attraction to Buffy and argues that it is creepy. He is, Mark states, frankly too old for her. “What can Angel possibly see in her?” queries Mark.
  • Katherine argues that what Buffy the show is doing is deconstructing the horror genre.
  • Does Daryll have a soul or a conscience?
  • Mark did consider medical school but gave up on the idea when he realized he would have to have his own cadaver. Katherine never thought about medical school. However, she did dissect a frog in high school that she then kept in a desk drawer to keep her sisters out of it. It worked, too.
  • Shout out to Kris Roth!

Resources:

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.  If you can, get an annotated version at the library. I love annotated versions. They explain all sorts of information readers will miss since we are 21st century readers. But you can also read it free here: http://literature.org/authors/shelley-mary/frankenstein/

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