#becomingbuffypodcast

[becomingbuffypodcast]

S5. Ep7. Fool For Love

Another season, another fantastic episode 7. Often referred to as one of the most popular episodes of the series, “Fool for Love” is a compelling and attention-grabbing hour of television. Airing the same night as the Angel crossover “Darla,” “Fool for Love” masterfully brings the focus of the season back to the nature of the Slayer, while also confronting Buffy with her most human challenge yet—mortality.

Originally entitled “Love’s Bitch” after Spike’s iconic speech in “Lovers Walk,” the title, “Fool for Love” was taken from Sam Shephard’s play, focusing on themes of identity, destructive cycles, and the past haunting the present.

In an interesting repeat of Dracula’s own opinions of Buffy’s power, the show uses Spike’s past to attempt to convince Buffy that there is darkness inside of her. Yet, the episode cleverly casts doubt on the reliability of Spike’s narrative, directly contrasting and challenging his point of view. His attempt to compare his desire for death and danger to the Slayer’s nature might have some semblance of truth, but it’s not the full story.

Buffy’s ability to display self-control and responsibility with her power, while also using it for good, directly contrasts Spike’s unchecked desire for sex and violence. William’s crafting of the “Spike” persona is inauthentic and not a true display of identity as it is a direct response to his feelings of inadequacy and his desire for approval. He cannot change.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, November 24th

Cordelia: Why is it always virgin women who have to do the sacrificing? Wesley: For purity, I suppose. Cordelia: This has nothing to do with purity. This is all about dominance, buddy. You can bet if someone ordered a male body part for religious sacrifice the world would be atheist (snaps her fingers) like that.

~~The Shroud of Rahmon~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

A New Dawn in LA by crowncitydreams (Angel & Dawn, G)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Heartless, Chapter 12 by LSquared1501 (Buffy/Angel, T)

A Reincarnation in Sunnydale, Chapter 56 by DracoRim98 (Buffy/Angel, M)

The Right Swipe, Chapter 16 by DancingAngel0013 (Giles/Buffy, E)

After Life, Chapter 13 by Alwaysandforevermylove (Buffy/Faith, E)

Thin White Duke, Chapter 23 by CorsetedPrincess (Willow/Tara, Harry Potter crossover, not rated)

Forged in shadows, Chapter 9 by CloudSeeker (Angel/Lindsey, E)

The Prophecy, Chapter 5 by bookxish (Buffy/Angel, E)

Okay Dad, Chapter 4 by Work (Giles & Scoobies, T)

Opposite Attraction, Chapter 3 by MamaBewear (Angel/Spike, T)

Smoke and Leather, Chapter 9 by EagleAlwaysFliesAlone (Spike/OC, M)

For Science, Chapter 1 by mattilamb (Buffy/Riley, E)

Falling Into Darkness, Chapter 1 by FriedaBerlinFan (Spike/OC, not rated)

I noticed I had butterflies again, but this time I realised what was causing them, Chapters 1-2 by ImALeafOnTheWind (Willow/Tara, T)

The Transfer, Chapter 8 by Blackmysteria (Buffy/Spike, R)

Guitar Villain, Chapter 7 by RavenLove12 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Incarnate, Chapter 23 by Sigyn (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2], Chapter 63 by Ragini (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Great Escape from Oz, Chapter 8 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Be Back Before Dawn, Chapter 18 by Blissymbolics (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Sold Out, Chapter 8 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Ties to the World, Chapter 38 by The Danish Bird (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Let's Casually Change the Timeline, Chapter 4 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Perfect Clarity, Chapter 30 (complete!) by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, R)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: Anya, Buffy, Drusilla, Dawn by x66r9u (worksafe)

Photo edits: Angel and Willow by kishinuma-yoshiki (worksafe)

Cosplay: vampire Willow by lauren-delorean (worksafe)

Comic video: Buffy Season 8 Episode 23 Preview Buffy VS Simone by Game Series

Fanvid: Buffy & Spike Channel - 1Million Views by Buffy & Spike Channel

Fanvid: Buffy & Angel || Hey mama by Wanda Snow

Fanvid: Spike & Buffy | Beautiful Trauma by KcchameleonProdz

Fanvid: Harmony & Drusilla (Spike+ Buffy) | Before he cheats by Tara's_Willowverse

Fanvid: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Dancing Queen by Tara's_Willowverse

Fanvid: Buffy e Angel {AMV} Million to one//Camila Cabello by Vanessa Machado

Fanvid: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Shake it off by Tara's_Willowverse

Fanvid: Waka waka | Buffythe Vampire Slayer | Comedy video by Tara's_Willowverse

Fanvid: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | House of Memories by Tara's_Willowverse

Fanvid: Tara x Willow | Buffy x Angel | Señorita by Tara's_Willowverse

Fanvid: Spike - Immortals by William Pratt

Vidlet: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Warriors | Final battle by Tara's_Willowverse

Video: Editing random Buffy the Vampire Slayer scenes! | Part one by Tara's_Willowverse

Video: Editing random scenes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Part two by Tara's_Willowverse

Video: Editing random scenes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer! | Part four by Tara's_Willow

Video: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 4 Opening Credits (Charmed Style) by Rotten Lemonade

Animation: Disney Channel Ribbon era: Buffy the Vampire Slayer next bumper #2 (FANMADE) by lovinthelawn

[Reviews & Recaps]

S5. Ep8. Shadow by becomingbuffypodcast

‘Listening to Fear’ by becomingbuffypodcast

One of the biggest faults of ‘Into the Woods’ by becomingbuffypodcast

S5. Ep11. Triangle by becomingbuffypodcast

Video: The Reckoning begins...and it took 12 years to get here by Matt Likes Comics

Video: S4E13: The I in Team by One Girl in All the World

Video: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV Series): Why Is It So Great? by Fangs and Folklore

Video: Dirty Girls-Slayer Sunday by Jane Talks Buffy

Video: Ted as Blue Beard - Bluebeard, Buffy, and the Beast by Fairy Tales and Fangs

Podcast: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 3 Episode 8 - Lovers Walk - Audio-only by Sh*t 90s Shows Taught Me

Podcast: Episode 176: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) by Queers Gone By with Caitlin Powell and Kate Butch

Podcast: Get It Done S7 E15 Buffy and the Art of Story by Lisa M. Lilly

Podcast: The Slay Lounge Podcast Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1, Episode 1 by PirateCorps Entertainment

Podcast: Once More, With Spoilers: 1.01 Welcome to the Hellmouth | A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast by Buffering: A Rewatch Adventure

Podcast: Once More, With Spoilers: 1.02 The Harvest | A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast by Buffering: A Rewatch Adventure

Podcast: Welcome To The Pilot (Buffy The Vampire Diaries, Staffel 1, Folge 1) by Buffy The Vampire Diaries (in German)

Podcast: Restless by Buffy the Vampire Straya

[Recs]

Vid rec: let go • connor & angel by Winterevanesce {Kitty} recced by Priceless

[Fandom Discussions]

why did they give connor newly out trans girl swag by all-seeing-ifer

thinking about making a pack au where they actually stick closer to hyenas than whatever the fuck they did in that episode by camellcat

i still think about dru killing kendra by drusill

buffy telling tara "i can't believe i let spike do those things to me" by lesbianmarrow and dykemarcille

i think oz had the funniest character arc on buffy the vampire slayer by gestaltthing

Five unpopular opinions about the Buffyverse by kyliafanfiction

Spike saying I don't want the world destroyed because I like what's in the world by imissthembutitwasntadisaster and magpie-trove

spike and buffy would go to gay bars with willow and tara to attend drag shows by selkiemaidenfae

So little makes sense - does S5 have the weakest written Big Bad storyline? continued by MoonLight SY-3

Any ideas on what could have been done with Doyle if Glenn Quinn wasn't fired? continued by multiple posters

The Other Hellmouth continued by vampmogs and Stoney

Season 4 of Angel by Remote_Cat_5155

Did Angel and Spike receive martial arts training? by FoxIndependent4310

Tara and Willow by Familiar_Recover8112

This Could be Incredibly Stupid but ... [Tara and Willow making The First corporeal] by Expert_Frosting_8920

Five Minutes in and Buffy’s Already Relatable (2x21) by STheUselessLesbian

Giles Murderer by RecentCash7142

Is there a scene where [Spike] says he's done being crazy? by AggressiveSea7035

Just watched Season 5 episode 10 [Into the Woods] by Specialist-Orchid-80

Buffy rewatch with a new partner by annayek3

Innocent victim of the day [fawn killed by Willow] by timmorris82

Buffy being broke by SpeedHot3049

Why Giles, and not someone else? by No_Introduction_4136

Spike Once Rudely Said by Past-Throat-6788

Bezoar? Persimmons and Buffy monsters by EnvironmentOk5610

Xander's Riley speech in "Into the woods" by dacm1980

How big is Watchers Council staff? by dacm1980

My only gripe with season 7 by Realistic-Advance472

In Family.... [cousin Beth] by wonder181016

It should’ve been Andrew by purplemmmmm

I feel like in the later seasons Xander became Buffy’s go to friend rather than Willow by mavelits

Podcast: Does Buffy have tragic taste in men? (Part 2) by A Girl, A Guy and A Buffy Podcast

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[iwillrememberyoumarathon]

Bangel fans, we want to hear from you! During the run-up to the IWRY Fic Marathon in November, we’ll be getting to know each other through our Meet the Fandom series. Answer the questions here to join in.

What is your name?

Sarah

Where do you hang out?

Tumblr: @becomingbuffypodcast

Also @becomingbuffypodcast on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok Podcast: Becoming-buffy.castos.com

Do you create any fan works?

I have a podcast on Buffy (Becoming Buffy) and one on Angel (Investigating Angel). I create analytic essays on each episode on Instagram and Tumblr, as well as analysis videos (YouTube).

Funniest Bangel/Buffyverse moment?

Angel slipping in the doorway in Graduation Day.

What Buffyverse opinion would have you chased through the village with pitchforks?

Anya's death was a full circle moment for her character, and was earned.

How would you have given Buffy and Angel their Happily Ever After?

Angel shanshu'd and met up with Buffy after she formed the Slayer Academy and left it to Faith, Giles, and Willow. They live by the beach and Buffy breaks out the stakes every once in a while when the world needs her.

Last fic you read?

"Reprieve" by Scribes1015

Slay, Lay, Obey - Dawn, Fred, Wesley?

Slay: Fred

Lay: Wes

Obey: Dawn

Fill in the quiz so the fandom can meet you!

[buffysummers]

Hi pals! So, I will be a special guest on Investigating Angel’s (sister podcast to @becomingbuffypodcast) episode coverage of 1.19, “Sanctuary.” It drops this Thursday, 4/27, on all podcast platforms.

I will post a link to the episode when it drops, but if anyone is interested in tuning in and hearing my thoughts on the very ~intense~ episode, I thought I’d let y’all know! It’s a rather juicy conversation.

[fuffygifs]

“Eliza Dushku just completely annihilates her role in this scene. Just the way she kind of goes animalistic and smells the knife as it’s coming out. She just does such a good job of showing this, like, animalistic, primal reaction to this knife that is almost more terrifying than the knife itself.” - @becomingbuffypodcast

[dailybtvs]

“I think this scene is not just about Xander. I think Willow has been feeling lonely this entire episode. Let’s look back at the beginning of the episode. Willow’s not feeling great. And that’s before she even knew Xander was with Faith. So, I think that she’s feeling left out. I think she’s feeling like Faith is taking all of her people away from her. I think that she’s probably felt left out her entire life until she met the Scooby Gang and they felt like her people, people she can trust. And so I think that watching Buffy hang out with Faith and not wanting to include her, and now hearing Xander’s been with Faith, it’s just the icing on the cake. And so, I think what she’s feeling right here is just absolute loneliness and hurt. And this just tipped it over the edge. […] There’s probably a little bit of Willow maybe feeling left out in the sense that now she knows Buffy has had sex, and Xander has had sex, and she hasn’t. And she’s not completely sure where her and Oz’s relationship stands. She feels like she has no one. And so, I think there’s a little more sympathy to be had for Willow in this scene because the situation just feels compounded by loneliness.” - @becomingbuffypodcast

[heatherbelart]

𝘐 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘠𝘰𝘶.

Buffy and Angel forever 💙🧡❤️

I was so delighted to be commissioned to paint this piece by the team behind the brilliant Becoming Buffy Podcast to celebrate their 100th episode! Head over to their Instagram (@becomingbuffypodcast) for the chance to win a print, or visit my Etsy store to buy one.

I have room for a handful of commissions over the next couple of months, so please get in touch if you’re interested.

Painted using procreate with digital oils on canvas.

[liam-summers]

Incredible analysis!

FINALLY, a podcast that actually gives Angel the appreciation and time he deserves 😭

[becomingbuffypodcast]

While “Family” has several call backs to “Restless,” mainly regarding Willow and Tara’s relationship, it also heavily references “Goodbye Iowa.” A major theme of the episode, and season 4 in general, is the rejection of social indoctrination, as it prevents us from developing our authentic identity—something we see play out through Tara and her family in this episode. Not only did “Goodbye Iowa” see Tara sabotaging Willow’s demon finding spell, a subtle foreshadowing to the reveal in “Family,” but it is the episode where Maggie Walsh’s death triggers Riley’s identity crisis.

Confused and distraught, an angry Riley confronts Buffy for socializing with demons in Willy’s bar, pulls a gun on a human woman, and then begs Buffy for the truth. The episode ends with him being taken by his Initiative “family” to their hospital, and the last shot is of him clinging to Buffy’s bandana as his source of stability. Since that episode, Riley has rejected his indoctrination from the Initiative and Maggie but has not created an identity or purpose outside of it and her. Instead, he has relied on his relationship with Buffy to create meaning in his life, and thus establishing an unhealthy pattern of codependency with powerful women.

And here in “Family,” it’s no coincidence that Riley heads back to Willy’s bar as he seeks purpose through the rush of danger. And while he flirts with a female vampire, another powerful woman and the Buffyverse’s own symbol of stasis—the show intentionally moves past him, to include Tara and even Spike in the family shot—but not him.

[becomingbuffypodcast]

S5. Ep6. Family

One of the most beloved episodes in the series, “Family” is unique for many reasons. Not only is it the first episode of the season that is both written and directed by Joss Whedon, something that is typically reserved for episodes 1 and 7, but it is also the first and only episode to focus primarily on Tara.

In a lot of ways, the episode is a part two to “No Place Like Home,” as the show broadens the theme of family to encompass the family we create as well as the family we come from. Buffy confides with Giles about her estranged father and embraces Dawn as a sister, Riley’s wrestles with being estranged from his Initiative family, and Tara rejects her blood family.

Dawn and Tara’s status as outsiders has naturally created parallels between them, yet the show has linked them even before Dawn appeared. Willow’s dream in “Restless” mirrors the opening scene in “Family,” where both Willow and Tara watch the cat (symbolizing Dawn) while Willow shares that she feels safe. Tara’s response that Willow doesn’t know everything about her, foreshadows this episode, and Tara’s predicament.

The style of the episode is also a bit different, with Passion of the Nerd pointing out that it feels like a bedtime fairytale. It begins with Tara telling Willow a story about the little cat searching for a family, and ends with Tara being accepted in the Scooby family, and Dawn being accepted by Buffy as her sister. There are damsels in distress, wicked families, magic, and of course, a happy ending.

[becomingbuffypodcast]

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, “Out of My Mind” has several parallels to season 4’s “Doomed,” as both compare Buffy, Riley, and Spike through the themes of fear and purposelessness. Not only was “Doomed” the first episode that Mark Blucas was added to the credits, officially making Riley a main character, but it was also the episode that Buffy and Riley’s relationship began. “Doomed” showed Buffy going back to high school to face her fears of being vulnerable again in a relationship, while “Out of My Mind” shows Riley admitting to Buffy in the Initiative caves that “loving her is the scariest thing he’s ever had to do.”

“Doomed” showed Riley to be confident in his mission and sense of self, boldly calling Buffy selfish and stupid for letting fear paralyze her into stagnation, while “Out of My Mind” reveals a fully integrated and fulfilled Buffy, with Riley being the one frozen by lack of purpose.

And then there’s Spike. “Doomed” has him at his lowest as he is caught in stasis--unable to sate his bloodlust through drink or fight. While it’s easy to focus on his discovery that he can attack and kill other demons with a chip, it’s important to remember that this is also the episode where Spike begins to use his words to wound and separate the Scoobies. This again proves that the chip is not changing his nature, merely redirecting it.

In “Out of My Mind,” Spike’s continued inability to drink blood or enact violence on humans has led to a similar state of meaningless as Riley. Buffy’s thwarting of his chip removal is the last straw, as his frustration drives him into finding meaning in a new outlet—Buffy.

[becomingbuffypodcast]

Who get the biggest passes from Buffyverse fans and can you give examples of the worst things these characters do?

Well this is a juicy question.

Spike, and Cordelia.

Interestingly, at some point, both characters were given the role of calling Buffy out on her "crap." James Marsters even talks about how he was brought in as a replacement for Cordelia in season 4, but then was replaced by Anya when they decided to do something else with him.

With Cordy being the mean girl, and Spike the soulless vampire, the writers had the freedom to use these characters to say and do some incredibly cruel things towards Buffy in the name of "brutal honesty," while also excusing their behavior because they weren't meant to be the hero...at least initially.

This worked a little too well, as Charisma and James were amazing in their roles. Each character is charming, beautiful, multifaceted, and extremely funny.

The problem is, you can't keep your characters stagnate, so the writers were forced to give Cordy and Spike character growth, but also find a way to retain who they are. This is incredibly difficult when your character was literally written to clash with Buffy, and is popular for saying mean, biting things in the name of "tough love."

-Cordelia-

While Queen C is more than the resident mean girl, her cruel words and selfish behavior are praised as "truth" and confidence, with her belittling nearly every member of the Scooby gang. She is constantly pitting herself against Buffy; (Homecoming, Halloween, etc) demeaning and belittling her when Buffy has personally saved her life several times. She begins to show signs of character growth in season 3, but once Xander cheats on her, reverts right back to blaming Buffy for everything. Instead of holding Xander accountable for his actions, she makes a wish that Buffy never came to Sunnydale, and then never sees the consequences for her own actions.

Even after her move to LA, she calls Buffy a cry-Buffy, blames her for turning Angel into Angelus, emasculates Wesley, victim blames and shames a SA survivor (Untouched), and is generally just careless about what she says or does, with no thought about how her words effect others.

Personally, while I do see some growth over her time on Angel, I do not buy her characterization in the later seasons where she is drastically changed to become a Champion, and then shoe-horned into a relationship with Angel. On top of that, she never atones for or even recognizes her need to change for her awful behavior, and that makes it very hard for me to forgive her for her past sins, let alone root for her.

It's possible that with better writing and without Joss being a horrible person, that her transition would have been more organic and believable.

-Spike-

For a show about feminism, the writers really spend a lot of time on this man. He steals Buffy's underwear, stalks her, makes a sex robot that looks just like her, attempts to kill her multiple times, boasts about killing and torturing other slayers, justifies it by saying they wanted it, ties her up, then spends a season belittling her just so that she'll sleep with him. THEN when she refuses sex with him, attempts to force himself on her.

And for those of you who say, "oh he just didn't have a soul yet." Fine.

After he had a soul, he boasts about assaulting her, shames her for using him for sex when he knew she didn't love him, shames her for not loving him, and blames her for the reason he's tortured with having a soul. (Beneath You)

He nearly kills Robin Wood, and then mocks him for not being loved by his mother (which is proven to be false in "Damage"), all while wearing the coat that he stole from Robin's mother after he killed her.

Not once does he apologize to Buffy or attempt to hold himself accountable, even after he has a soul. It is not until "Damage" on Angel that we see any sort of unselfish remorse.

Then to add insult to injury, season 7 has Buffy spending so much time taking care of Spike, rescuing Spike, training with Spike, reassuring Spike that he is a good man...all to the detriment of her other relationships. People like to blame the Potentials for why season 7 is as clunky as it is, but I blame the focus on Spike.

Even worse, the show doesn't seem to want Spike to change, as there's hardly a difference between pre souled and ensouled Spike. And that goes against the show's core tenant of choice and growth.

From the very beginning, vampires represent the opposite of adolescence in that they are stagnate and do not change. "Fool for Love" very clearly establishes that Spike's persona is created to compensate for his lack of an identity. Cecily's rejection of him deeply wounds him and he is shown to create a facade to mask his insecurities. So he takes from powerful women and forms a false identity around them to prove that he is not beneath them. The episode emphasizes this pattern with Cecily, Dru, and the two Slayers, continuing in present day with Buffy.

In order to be consistent with the lore and message of the show, ensouled Spike needed to look a lot different from un-ensouled Spike, but the writers knew he wouldn't be as popular.

And so we're left with a half baked season where we're supposed to believe that Buffy is distant from everyone but Spike, who looks the exact same as he did the season before when he tried to force himself on her.

It's just icky. It's the opposite of empowering. It blurs the lines of the lore. And it sends the wrong message.

We can like these characters and even root for them, but we need to be honest about their flaws, and not justify awful writing and problematic characterization.

[becomingbuffypodcast]

S5. Ep11. Triangle

Marking the halfway point of the season, ‘Triangle’ is directed by Christopher Hilber, who would later go on to direct ‘Bolt’ and ‘Princess and the Frog.’ Most notably, he is the son of Disney legend, Winston Hibler, who wrote many classic Disney films such as, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Peter Pan’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘Cinderella’, and more.

‘Triangle’ had a tough job, in that it was tasked with dealing with the aftermath of Riley’s cheating and departure, but also with lightening the mood after so many intense episodes. The episode’s tone and content would have been much more effective earlier in the season, yet it still works in giving the show a chance to breathe for a moment.

As wonderful as it is to finally have an episode devoted to Anya and Willow, two characters that have been seriously back-seated this season, ‘Triangle’s’ decision to have the girls’ conflict be over XANDER is majorly tone-deaf, and we’re pretty sure this episode doesn’t even pass the Bechdel test. Not only are we reminded of the Wander affair in season 3 (gee, thanks for that Jane), but somehow, once again, Xander garners more sympathy and attention than Buffy—the girl that was cheated on, gaslit, blamed, and then dumped last episode.

By having Anya place the blame for the affair on Willow's shoulders, the show continues to avoid holding Xander accountable, and weirdly centers him in an episode that should be focused on the women's stories.

[becomingbuffypodcast]

One of the biggest faults of ‘Into the Woods’ is not the confusing scene cuts, or the mediocre dialogue, but the inconsistent messaging that completely goes against the core tenants of the show. In season 4, the show used Riley breaking away from the Initiative as a positive example of rejecting operant conditioning and taking the first step towards individual autonomy. Riley’s lack of purpose and meaning apart from the Initiative and Buffy in season 5, has been very clearly portrayed as wrong, as both he and Spike have been contrasted with the Slayer’s own sense of self. His decision to go back to the Army/Military/Initiative (?) is a massive step back in his development, as his whole character arc was built on his inability to be his own person when no one is telling him what to do. While we applaud his decision to leave Sunnydale, we cannot help but feel that he's not actually making a conscious choice—only falling into what is familiar.

The episode’s framing of Spike and Riley in a sympathetic light while Buffy is labeled “crazy”, is not only inconsistent with the past few episodes, but incredibly disturbing and problematic. While we get that the show is trying to condemn Buffy’s desire for vengeance, it begins to veer into murky waters once the Slayer is portrayed as wrong for slaying soulless vampires, and the soulless vampire is shown to be another victim of the Slayer’s “inability to open up.” Whether intended or not, the show paints Riley (the cheating boyfriend) AND Spike (the stalking, stealing, murdering demon) as victims of a crazy, hardened woman, who uses men when they are convenient for her.

In one episode, the writers have disregarded the show’s message of choice and female empowerment and set a dangerous precedent for the future.

[becomingbuffypodcast]

S5. Ep9. Listening to Fear

Sandwiched between ‘Shadow’ and ‘Into the Woods,’ ‘Listening to Fear’ is another hallway episode that is most famous for the disgusting Queller demon. While painful to watch at times due to the reappearance of the Initiative, the deterioration of Joyce’s mental health, and Riley’s cheating, this episode holds some of the most beautiful Summers’ family moments yet.

Surprisingly, ‘LTF’ makes several references to the more obscure ‘Killed by Death,’ an episode that canonically established Buffy’s fear of hospitals because of the death of her cousin by Der Kinderstod. The use of the same hospital room, the repeat of Willow bringing Buffy her homework in the hospital, and even the Queller demon’s method of killing is all reminiscent of ‘KBD.’

‘KBD’ was a reminder that Buffy is a child shouldering a heavy responsibility, as she compares herself to Ryan before promising to be the hero and fight the monsters. Giles also mentions in that episode that Buffy must have something to fight to feel like she has everything under control, saying “death and disease are possibly the only things that Buffy cannot fight.” He later talks about how children often see things that adults don’t—our hidden selves.

This season is all about Buffy trying to protect Dawn, her innocent, childlike self in an effort to not become hardened by her power. In ‘LTF’ we see Buffy being weighed down by adulthood and wishing so badly that she could be protected, like she’s protecting and shielding Dawn. And we know Dawn is here to be Buffy’s connection to that part of herself…I wonder what Dawn, the child will reveal in Buffy? What hidden part of Buffy will we see because of Dawn?