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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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Prophecy Girl

09 May 2016

In this episode!

  • Dr asks what can possibly happen now that The Master is gone. Mark suggests the show can turn into Scooby Doo.
  • Gotta say here, if you actually know us in real life there’s way more subtext.
  • All of w’s kvetching aside, it’s not Mark’s fault that he got lost (again!) in subordinate clauses.
  • A vampire who won’t deign to drink your blood? That’s some hard core disrespect.
  • The prophecy of Hosea was fulfilled by “more or less an Uber ride that you didn’t care for.”
  • For some reason, it’s kind of funny that Giles has a horseshoe over his doorway.

And so much more! This is the last Buffy episode of Season One. Watch the show first, then listen in here, and come back next week for the season summary. Shout out to Dr’s sister Becky and our mystery fan in Germany!

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Out of Mind, Out of Sight

02 May 2016

In this episode!  Crush, Kill, Destroy!

  • Katherine and Mark think that despite the fact that most podcasters hate this episode, we love it, and think it has some interesting messages
  • We think this might be a true horror episode. Do our 6 listeners think so? Why or why not?
  • Mark thinks Whedon is prophetic, and points out Cordelia’s “All Lives Matter” stance and the teacher’s critique of it
  • Katherine points out the significance of the “the anger of the outcast” and says this was a large part of Whedon’s rationale for creating the Buffyverse
  • Mark (Fashion Police)noticed that Harmony and Cordelia were wearing matching colors, and he wonders if it is a cult. Anyone else notice?
  • Katherine and Mark have a dispute that only YOU can solve, listeners. Mark says that Marcie begins disappearing a few days ago; Katherine insists the disappearance happened months ago. Who’s right? The winner gets Indian food, so this is high stakes.
  • We do have a very serious question we can’t answer: Why doesn’t Angel want Buffy to know he saved Giles, Willow, and Xander? We have a weak answer but are mainly stumped on this.
  • Shout outs to Just Laurie,  Nina Ryerson, and of course, all Lost in Space fans!
  • How long is the list of missing, dead, and disappeared?
  • Katherine asks, whose responsibility is it that people don’t fall through the cracks?

Resources:

Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare

“Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” The Beatles

Katherine mentioned that when Marcie looks at her book at the end of the episode, she sees it is about assassination. Here is some further incredibly fun information. The information was taken from the Buffy Wiki and from Wikipedia:

“Underneath the manual headline of “Assassination and Infiltration” are the lyrics to the Beatles song ” Happiness Is a Warm Gun“, but with a few small changes; any repetition in the lyrics is removed, the line ‘happiness is a warm gun’ is changed to ‘joy is a hot revolver,’ and the last line of text that is visible is not part of the song. What it says is ‘because joy is a hot revolver, and he is afraid of the monkeys who are in'”(Buffy Wiki)

“The body copy of the book Marcie opens at the end of the episode is the lyrics to the Beatles’ song “Happiness Is a Warm Gun.” However, the titular lyric is altered to “Joy is a hot revolver” and the text ends as follows: ‘Joy is a hot revolver, and he is afraid of the monkeys who are in possession of digital skeletons of Swiss cheese.”‘ (Wikipedia)

 

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Nightmares

27 April 2016

In this episode!

Listeners—for this very unusual Buffy, the Vampire Slayer episode, we have a very unusual podcast. For this week’s show, we welcome Just Laurie as our special guest to discuss dream interviewing and dream incubation. IF you like the idea of Salons and dream groups, enjoy the discussion which lasts until 21:56, but the intense Buffy talk begins at 28:36.. We then talk about the nightmares of our main characters.

  • Mark provides a list of dream archetypes. Did we miss any? This is one of those episodes that needs a close look
  • Katherine says that many experts believe that this is the episode that Xander grows up. What do you think?
  • Mark says it is vital that one not accept the dream on its own terms. Don’t comply.
  • Laurie says that you must interrogate what terrifies you.
  • Mark notices that Whedon is playing with light throughout the episode, and that it is growing darker and darker until Buffy reveals the monster in the end. Did anyone else notice this playing with light?
  • Shout outs: To our fan in Germany! Heather Miles! Sheila Strong! Gabriella Sagnes! Becky Clark!
  • Mark points out that nightmares only work (in this episode) if others are aware of your discomfort
  • Laurie asked where the Hellmouth is in Cleveland, and Katherine said that as one of the podcast episodes we will all go in search of it. Laurie says it has to be done in daylight; Katherine said it would be so much more interesting at night. Who’s with me?!
  • Katherine wonders if Buffy Superfans caught the huge foreshadowing for Willow (Shhh. Mark didn’t get it).
  • None of us on this podcast are horror fans. How come we love Buffy so much?

Resources:

Breakthrough Dreaming by Gayle Delaney

The William N. Skirball Writers’ Center  at Cuyahoga County Public Library- South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch

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The Puppet Show

15 April 2016

In this episode!

  • Katherine and Mark love that Whedon once again subverts our assumptions about horror tropes—Sid is NOT the demon! (And isn’t it cool that he knew a previous Slayer?)
  • Katherine likes that there is reaffirmation that there is good everywhere, and Mark points out that there are demons and vampires everywhere, especially Cleveland. Mark thinks this explains Voinovich, Katherine thinks it explains Kasich, and Mark argues Cleveland is not part of Ohio.
  • Shout outs to Warren Shaver, Becky Clark, Sheila Strong, and Bella Olivo.
  • Katherine thinks while this is clearly a Buffy episode, it also has a different feel. What do you podcast listeners think?
  • Willow and Xander had adlibs that were added to the episode. Did you spot them?
  • Katherine talks about Dante and Stephen King.
  • Giles said, “A person driven to kill is more complex than a demon.” Katherine questions if this is always true, and argues that humans can be evil. She doesn’t agree with Giles on this point. Mark suggests that the reason Buffy is allowed to kill vampires and demons is because they have no soul. Katherine and Mark argue over conscience and the ability to make choices and the philosophy of the Whedonverse. This is huge, people, and we would love your feedback. We’ll be talking about this a lot as the series progresses. Clearly, we now need a theologian (cool! I know one!) and a philosopher.
  • Mark did not want to discuss the Monroe Doctrine. Sigh.
  • Mark brings up race in Buffy, and Katherine shares that many academics are concerned with this issue and says that it will be addressed later. (Note to our listeners: we plan on at least two episodes with guests talking about issues of race in Buffy.)

Cleveland Hellmouth Listeners! Three more important points!

  1. Next week, we will present the episode “Nightmares” with special guest Laurie K. who is an expert on dream interviewing. It will be so fun!
  2. Also, we are still debating whether or not to rank episodes each season. We would love to hear how you would rate these episodes (or if you even have any desire to). Let us know what you think.
  3. Finally, Katherine has created a page on rules in Buffy. Check it out and feel free to suggest some of your own.

Resources

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (not Shakespeare)

The Shining by Stephen King. Katherine prefers the novel to the movie.

Dante’s Inferno

The Monroe Doctrine

The Usual Suspects: a great movie

Chaos Bleeds: a non-canonical Buffy video game

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I Robot, You Jane

04 April 2016

In this episode!

Housekeeping

  • We’re concerned—did Katherine use the word “actually” enough times?
  • Is Bella our biggest fan?

The show itself!

  • Mark reminisces about old computers and computer programs.
  • Listeners—where is Sunnydale in Jenny’s internet circle? Is it in the middle or on the circumference? This could change everything!
  • Katherine and Mark debate Buffy’s comment about her hair. Mark thinks it’s either a joke or superficial. Katherine says there is nothing superficial about a teenage girl’s concern about her hair. We need our two listeners  to decide if Buffy is joking or not.
  • Mark likes Jenny Calendar in that she overturns the cliché of the anti-spirituality computer programmer.
  • Katherine is excited by the idea in Buffy that there have always been good people who fought and now fight against evil; it isn’t just our valiant cohort.
  • Mark asks: Why Buffy? Why is it important from the pop culture standpoint? Why is it important from a literary standpoint?
  • Katherine responds with: she loves the feminism and the female protagonists, but her favorite thing is the friendships. We’d love to know why you love Buffy.

Resources

Katherine commented about a terrific essay she read. She read it in the book Seven Seasons of Buffy:Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Discuss Their Favorite Television Show, edited by Glenn Yeffeth, which has been referenced on this show before; however, the essay is available on line. It is called “A Buffy Confession” by Justine Larbalestier.

In this essay, Larbalestier creates what she calls “Buffy Mini-Festivals” for those times you want to watch Buffy but don’t feel like binging the whole show. Her suggestions for episodes to pull together is inspired. Perhaps it is needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway), this is for those of you who have watched Buffy already.

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Angel

29 March 2016

In this episode!

  • Mark loves Cordelia’s Bernie Sanders response to NAFTA!  Feel the Bern!
  • We don’t know if the Anointed One is human or not. Can anyone help us out? (Katherine thinks he’s probably a vampire?)
  • Mark struggles with the rules of invitation.
  • Katherine and Mark debate over the significance of Buffy exposing her neck to Angel, and Mark reveals he is probably not a vampire, even though he (Mark) did die once.
  • Mark believes Angel has a death wish. Does Buffy?
  • Mark loves the connection to Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, and Katherine loves that in Buffy it is mainly men who get punished. (Angel as Hester Prynne! Sort of.)
  • Katherine explains the significance of “sires.”
  • Mark loves the idea of Angel as addict who hasn’t been using for over 100 years.
  • Katherine winks at Buffy fans when Mark asks, do vampires have human farms?
  • Mark thinks Buffy isn’t turned on to Xander because of his jokester status–do you agree? And, what role is Xander playing? Willow?

Resources:

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The Pack

22 March 2016

In this episode!

Cleveland Hellmouth listeners–wow, this one is tough. It is so dark, and Mark wonders if it needs a trigger warning…

(Mark here: just so you know, we talk about rape in this episode.)

  • Katherine tells Mark that this episode epitomizes Whedon’s stance that “high school is hell.”
  • Katherine and Mark talk about bullies and packs.
  • Mark says there’s no such thing as verbal abuse that doesn’t hurt.
  • Mark asks, Did the possession bring out the bad in Xander or did it make him bad?
  • Katherine shares some important rules of the Buffyverse: Never kill a human, and Vampires aren’t human. But what makes the death of the zookeeper OK?
  • Another important rule that bears remembering for those new to the show–you are never at fault if you are possessed. It will not be held against you.
  • Katherine does a shout out to The Art of Slaying, another favorite podcast.
  • Katherine says, remember this line from Xander: “Buffy, you like your men dangerous.” This will have ramifications.
  • Mark notices that a favorite Whedon tactic is to say something funny and then have something horrible happen. Is Mark getting cynical?

Resources: The Art of Slaying podcast. One caveat: it is a great podcast, but the podcasters presume you’ve seen the episodes. Countless spoilers throughout.

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"Witch" episode three, season one

29 February 2016

In this episode:

  • Mark and Katherine talk about mothers and daughters and matricide
  • Shout out to Sheila Strong, though we think she is wrong about Buffy
  • Mark and Katherine agree that Buffy is a teen drama, but so much more. It is simple, but not simplistic
  • We ask each other: “Would you be 16 again?”
  • Is cheer leading a cult? We don’t come to a conclusion on this
  • Mark does fashion commentary
  • Katherine reveals to a stunned crowd that she is a Socialist (OK, everyone knew that already) and she and Mark talk about class issues in Sunnydale
  • We realize this episode is all about body image and control–who’s in charge?

Resources: If you love witches, we suggest you check out the wonderful movie, Bell, Book and Candle (though Katherine’s not crazy about the ending). Also, if you can find it, watch the pilot episode of Bewitched “I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha” where Darrin gets lectured by a feminist Endora. You will love Endora and be stunned at the sense her argument makes in 1964!

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