#part 1 episode 9

[whentheresidentsareevil]

Honestly so glad I'm part of the bucktommy community because as a whole, its so positive. Like we're just enjoying our ship and creating and I just love it

[paramasqueradeva]

The Chara Timeline Epi 6- 10 [Deltarune/Undertale Comic Dub]

(Collab W/ @washerpizza and Project Alpha )

Comic by: @lilybug-02 

[nocturnal-impala]

Update info

Hello!

The progress for episode 9 part 1 is now 15%!

[1doesnotsimplyhavejust1fandam]

Not to be delusional on main but I’m so confused about the birthmark aspect of the mom thinking Cameron was actually her baby Micah. Like. We saw the heart birthmark on Cameron, undeniably. And the mother had a whole story to tell about how she’d kiss the birthmark every night on her baby, so hello? Are we just ignoring that? I didn’t even care about the subplot much, but in terms of Bobby still being alive, it was crazy. Because the birthmark was forgotten the instant Athena told the mother she had a DNA test done. If it was just a reason for the mother to not seem like she was completely delusional, there were other ways. Ways that don’t involve a very visible birthmark on the kid (just like the very visible birthmark on the surrogate kid of the captain who is supposedly dead, and that many fans take the time to include in their art or their writing, and that is devastatingly apparent in his every scene). It could’ve been Cameron smiling exactly how the mom remembered Micah’s smile. It could’ve been a giggle that sounded like the baby laugh that Micah had (even a birthday video montage with a baby video laugh might’ve worked!!!). If it HAD to be a birthmark, it could’ve been the mother spotting what looked like a birthmark, but wasn’t always visible, and it was just a spill from the catering food (that the mom literally helped with for the party!!!) or a spot of dirt!!! Athena is in the midst of grieving her HUSBAND, any number of ways to fool her and us into believing Micah was alive could’ve been effective. They had the excuse that she wasn’t ready to mourn yet, and wasn’t thinking clearly ready-made! A heart birthmark was insane to SHOW, and then immediately forget about. Are we supposed to assume that Micah didn’t have a birthmark at all? Or that his birthmark was similar but not the same? Not even climbing the walls about this (anymore) just mad as hell because what?????

[whosbian]

tim minear don’t you dare test me i’m about to pull bobby down from heaven buffy the vampire slayer season 6 episode 1 “bargaining, part one” style.

someone find me a baby deer

[vagueeyes]

INSIDE NO. 9 S8E1 "The Bones of St Nicholas" | S9E1 "Boo to a Goose"

[recalcitrantlycaffeinated]

Delusional crashout (the sequel)

Friendship ended with "Bobby Nash accidentally buried alive due to lack of understanding of CCHF"

Now "Bobby Nash being experimented on in secret government lab" is my best friend

I've already seen a lot of people with good ideas to back this up, so here's my fandom contributions:

Chimney. You're telling me a character that hates running has suddenly taken up running, avoiding everyone he knows (including his pregnant wife) and being mysteriously absent for portions of the day? And he just so happens to be the character that a) received the only remaining vial of the cure for this virus, which the government wanted to use for experiments b) adopted the rat that also received the cure for this virus c) is beside himself with anger and frustration and talking about trying to find a third solution to a problem that seems impossible?? So obviously Chimney has been strong-armed by the government into helping perform the tests on Bobby/cure Bobby. That's why he keeps disappearing. That's why he can't talk to any of his loved ones, because it's killing him that he can't tell them the truth about what's going on.

Christology (again). So we all know the numerous references to Christ's death and resurrection that were in 8 x 15. Like, there were at least five already. When did Jesus famously rise from the dead? On the third day. What did Tim Minear specifically say in interviews that he wanted the timeline to be for grieving Bobby's death? Three episodes. Bobby cannot rise, cannot be revealed to the audience to be alive, until the third episode, for Bible reasons.

Also I would like to state for the record that that was not really Bobby's ghost. That was Athena imagining what Bobby would say to her. The real Bobby is a Catholic. He would never respond to "I know you" with "you knew me - past tense". My boy believes in the Communion of Saints! He believes in speaking to dead people through prayer! None of this you knew me past tense bullshit!! That's not the real Bobby my real Catholic boy is praying the rosary lying on a table in a government lab with his arms tied in the crucifix position you fucking idiots

[witchinatree]

making a list of my favorite quote/ones that stuck with me from each season 1 episode because i feel like it

(i'm starting this after episode 4 but it will be a WHILE before i post it)

episode 1: "bones are a lie peddled by Big Milk" - alice

i love this one because it's a great introduction to alice i think. also it radiates spiral so i hope we get avatar alice not dead alice (isnt there a podcast called alice isnt dead?)

episode 2: "If I wanted to clear the canvas, I would have used turpentine." - statement

this one was just fucking powerful and caught me so off guard like 😶

episode 3: "What would I do without her?" - statement

the norris statement <3 it feels like martin asking what he would do without jon which makes mag200 a lot sadder and i love them

episode 4: "Perhaps you shall prove a stronger will than I, and will yet find it within yourself to destroy this hungry thing of wood and cat-gut." - statement

augustus sighting #1 and we immediately get jonah magnus expressing that it may be possible for gwen bouchard unknown family member to overcome the eye's hunger spooky violin

episode 5: "Voyeur needs to be seen to be believed." - statement

i feel like this one is pretty reflective of how the seasons gonna go? like if you explain the events of tma (mag200 specifically) no one's gonna believe you, it must be seen to be believed!! and also seen!! like the eye!!!

episode 6: "Not sca- This isn’t some poxy blood test, some little pinprick, this is hundreds, thousands of razor sharp points pushing into your flesh." - needles

i love needles so much and i thought this was really funny because it was like "you dont find me scary!! what the fuck!!!" just kind of toddler michael energy

episode 7: "It’s not like we’re wrestling with tape recorders and manila folders." - celia

STOP IT. celia you can't say that you just cannot!!!!!! you Know™ too much maam i cant with you

episode 8: "Pleasure to meet you both. I’m Gerry!"

RAGHHHHH OH MY GOD GERRY!!!! i love him so much and idk how to handle him being alive in the tmagp universe!! gertrude too but idk we got so much of her in tma and not nearly enough of gerry

episode 9: "And honestly, it’s kind of compelling by this point." - sam

they got him 😔😔 the horrors got sam 😔😔 also i found this to be an interesting contrast to jon's heavy resistance in season 1 like he was being compelled but he wasn't going to let anyone know that vs sam "its kinda compelling to trauma dump on this paperwork :]" how is he somehow even more victim material

episode 10: "Gosh you’re sexy, here’s a twenty for your trouble.” - alice

does this count as a quote if shes also quoting what she thinks sam should say? idk anyway i love her i would say that to her if given the chance and it was very silly. i will not be addressing bonzo i am scared.

episode 11: "...Thank you, Alice" - gwen

dyhard dyhard dyhard dyhard dyhard. okay also, the way she CRUMBLED at the idea of anyone doing anything nice for her please someone give her a hug and let it be ME. this series is tossing me back and forth between sam & alice (what is their ship name) and dyhard but this put me back to dyhard

episode 12: "You know it's rude to have absolutely no game?" - alice

she's so fucking funny i need her to be okay so badly!!!! i don't think even tim made me laugh as much as she makes me chuckle and this one really got me. it's hard to write such a comedic character in a podcast since you only have the voice but they really nailed it i adore her

episode 13: "Is it my fault?" - gwen

each of these episodes just reveal a little bit more about how loving and soft gwen is and idk i love her so unbelievably much so seeing that she felt guilt about the bonzo stuff just made her so much more real :(

episode 14: "Christ, they’re in the walls…" - statement

theyre in the walls!!! theyre in the goddamn walls!!!!! anyway that got me because i realized the hole before the statement said it. made more sad than scared tbh

episode 15: "Babies are cool!" - alice this entire interaction between her and sam & celia was so awkward, she is so obvious and i love her anyway

episode 16: "It’s not like I was holding doors open for Mr Bonzo or anything." - gwen my wife is so so so stupid but i adore her AND this gives room for character development. i wish she did not do that though. i love when characters are flawed and have depth but i struggled to get past THIS flaw of hers

episode 17: "Thanks, I guess. Not exactly the same, though, is it?" - celia shes talking TO JON IN THE COMPUTER. SHE KNOWS. i lost my damn mind i love her i love her. get the gay people out of the puter please queen

episode 18: "Why would I need to talk to you? Your work is satisfactory. Unless you have a work-related issue I could assist you with?" - lena solidified my opinion that lena is the best boss to ever have, i adore her and i would want to work for her if she wasn't the boss of Creepy Establishment #1

episode 19: "You’re going to throw it in the fishtank, aren’t you?" - alice colin's behavior is like really worrying BUT i'm glad he's back. i was not convinced he was still alive

episode 20: "I suppose it’s too late for remorse, isn’t it? And why should I be sorry? This is what I deserve!" - ink5oul/statement they reminded me of jon a lot, like especially his season 3/4 transformation when he doesn't quite know everything but he knows he isn't who he was in season 1 anymore, i hope we see more of their life and they can be helped :(

episode 21: [Tape Recorder Bites Ink5oul] - audio description i know it's not technically a quote but this is just so fucking funny. why does it have teeth. what does this mean for the lore. holy shit.

episode 22: "Jonathan Sims and Martin Blackwood" - celia. knawing at the walls of my enclosure i am so not okay. i'm not okay. wtf. wtf. wtf. they're real. wtf.

episode 23: "I had a favorite mug. It said “love you, bitch” and had a picture of a drunk dog on it." - alice. okay i just love this entire interaction because gwen got to open up a little bit and my dyhard heart is so full

episode 24: "I am told that children like me, and I’ve always held the opinion that the world would be a better place if everyone just thought more." - basira. once again this whole interaction was so fun but like idk i loved hearing basira somewhat happy and in a safe place :] my wife <3

episode 25: " I am trying to help, to save us from this goddamned fucking nightmare machine!" - colin. MAN I REALLY WAS ROOTING FOR YOU!!! I WAS SO CONFIDENT YOU WEREN'T GONNA DIE!!!! it's over

episode 26: "I was worrying for a moment that you were Magnussing." - alice. MAGNUSSING BEING CANON MADE ME SAY IT EVEN MORE I'VE SAID IT LIKE TWICE ALREADY

episode 27: "You didn’t tell me the room was labelled, “Archivist.”" - celia. oooooh somebody's got TRAUMAAAAA LMAO

episode 28: "So you’re telling me you know nothing about an OIAR external contract being found with the bodies of two tattooed thugs who met rather grisly ends?" - TREVOR HERBERT???? anyway. ink5oul mention!!!!! i hope they stop killing people it's really rude

episode 29: "Alice, er… we’ve got to talk. It’s important." - teddy. i knew it was over for him but i didn't think it was gonna be THIS bad??? bye babe i guess??? 😭

episode 30: how do i even pick. the whole fucking episode. i can't. i am in a state of shock. i need to lay down for 30 years.

[miss0atae]

Random Thoughts about High School Frenemy (EP 9 – 10): PART 1 – The ups and downs of Saint’s healing journey.

These two episodes gave me so many thoughts that I decided to separate them in three parts otherwise I think it would be too long. This first part will be about Saint’s healing journey. I’ve talked a lot about Shin and how rightful is his anger towards what Saint did to him in the past. I also believe it makes sense for him to forgive him because his relationship with Saint is definitely something very important to him (I won’t say more and if you’re curious you can read it in my previous random thoughts). Now, I want to focus on Saint, because I believe these episodes showed us more about him. I also think his reactions at the end of episode 10 will bring new challenges to his relationship with Shin, but in the end this is just a little setback. I’m convinced it will allow them to grow as a person and ultimately find a deeper meaning in the relationship itself. It has been proved that time, betrayal, fights and anger never truly separated them, so this new “hindrance” won’t do it too.

I admit I was a bit upset when Saint reversed back at the end of episode 10 to be the man who let his guilt consumes him. Especially, as we've seen Shin and him going towards a better understanding and having a more friendly connection. It all started from the point where Shin made sure Saint would stay at the school, even if he had to resort to childish game because their past makes it too complicated to just admit he would miss him. In the same way, Saint stepped in when Shin was ready to fight with Class 3 because their leader was harassing a girl from his campus. Saint also wants Shin to remain at school and not get expelled. He has been very vocal when it comes to tell Saint how much he wants to be his friend and for them to be close again. Begging, claiming his “love” in front of everyone, doing things for him or his little sister… there is nothing that can stop Saint from showing or saying how much important Shin is for him. Their bond is very strong. We haven't seen him being this close to anyone else. He may have some people who he is friendly with, but no one is as important as Saint is for him. That's why what he did in the past feels as much as a betrayal for us the viewers, as it can be for Shin.

However, despite the anger and the resentment Shin seems to have decided to forgive (and not forget I want to be clear about that because it's important) Saint. This willingness to put an end of the “feud” between them was clearly a good step towards Shin's own healing journey of what happened in the past. I think he isn't calling Saint “friend” again because he is trying to set boundaries to determine what are his needs. As for now, it is to spend time with Saint and to reconnect slowly. We've finally seen Shin smiling again when looking at Saint. As he let go of his anger and warmed up a bit to Saint, we can also see that it has a positive reaction on Saint too. Obviously how Saint will react is deeply linked to what Shin will say or do. There is no one he trusts more in his life, in the past or in the present. That's why when Ken comes with a deal to stop the “bullying” against Shin if Saint does something for him, he accepts. Saint wants Shin to be able to start anew and it's not going to be possible if there is always animosity and violence at school. This part of the episode, showed his devotion, but also highlighted how Shin also wants to protect Saint. They escaped a very dangerous situation together and it made them reminiscing their past friendship.

They were finding what fueled their relationship and it was glorious to see, unfortunately the past can't be rewritten and when they came back to Shin's house, his mother reminded them of what happened before. I have a confession to make: I was at first quite angry at her. It took me a while to see her point and to understand her. I think it's because I have compassion for Saint, despite what he did. However, I can also recognize that Shin's mother is doing it out of love for her son. She must have seen him crushed not just because he lost his dream after being too injured by Saint, but he also lost his best friend at the same time. When, Saint saw with his own eyes what his “ego-induced madness” did to his best friend, he never really apologized, he ran away. We've yet to see why Saint made this choice, but knowing his personality we can make a guess. First, I believe he started to feel guilty when he noticed the extent of his action. Secondly, and it works with my first guess, he probably believed that nothing would make it right and he decided it would be best to leave Shin alone.

Guilt can feel heavy and difficult to offload. The more you live with it, the less easy it is to let it go. It's been three years that Saint has been living with it and he has been self-punishing himself for that long. When Shin and his campus students were merged with Saint's class, I think Saint found there an opportunity to reconnect with Shin. The strength of their bond is so important that it may have temporarily made him act, despite his own guilt. I'm not saying he forgot about it, because it has always stays at the back of his mind, but I think the grasp it had on his mind was less important. When Shin's mother reminded them of what happened, it woke Saint's guilt up. That's why Saint told Shin he would avoid him again. Of course, Shin didn't react well because he sees Saint doing exactly the same thing he did to him back then. It brings back the memory of the betrayal and the abandonment issue he got from this time. It feels that Shin reacts more badly to this experience of being abandoned than the loss of his dream and the injury on his leg. It makes you wonder, if Saint had stayed, despite everything, would they have remained friends?!

Now about Saint's guilt, there is only one thing that could save him and also save his relationship with Shin: learning how to manage his guilt. He should avoid self bad talk. Yes, his behavior has been less than ideal in the past, but it doesn't define who he is now. He has grown up and he is actively trying to do better. He shouldn't decide for Shin and listen more to how he is feeling. Even if Shin has been rejected him a lot, he has also shown several times in the present how he is also willing to be close to him too. It's not easy to read, but knowing how close they are, I believe Saint may be able to really understand Shin. It's actually weird because Saint has shown, in some way, that he was trying to let go of his guilt, when he was making amends and apologize for his past behavior. So, you see that he tried, but a habit is hard to break. He has been feeling guilty for so long that it makes it hard to forget about it. In truth, what Saint needs to do is to forgive himself too. Even if Shin says out loud that he forgives him, he would never be able to forget what happened. The guilt would always come back and ruin their relationship. Only, by forgiving himself, he can work toward freeing himself from being stuck in the past.

Saint must break the cycle of punish himself for the past mistake, as if he could somehow “make up” the wrong that he has done by doing so. This will be one of the hardest challenge, because it is always harder to forgive ourselves. I want to add also that letting go of his guilt is not just moving on and forget what happened as if nothing bad was ever done. It is about self-compassion and allowing Saint to grow from the experiences he had. This is his journey of forgiveness so he can also heal and find peace. This is the only way for him to be able to reconnect with Shin. I just hope Shin will be able to understand it because Saint hasn't been able to do it by himself. It may be preposterous to ask Shin to understand Saint after what he has done to him, but I believe this is the only way that would really work with Saint.

[maddy-ferguson]

i'm actually not a lesbian yes the concept of heterosexual sex disgusts me on paper but it appeals to me with a few select men. and that's how i've always felt but the lesbian masterdoc which was written by a girl who turned out to be bi got me. and a lot of other bi women with a preference for women. it's crazy to have that much influence when you think about it

[lgbtally4ever]

VENUS IN THE SKY

Fan Edit Part 1/4

Kissing

There WERE 4 Parts, but Tumbler “HID” them! Sorry!

[unkillable-gays]

Okay i haven't actually watched any of the episodes that include Marisol, and so recently in a fan edit I heard Buck say her name out loud, and it DID make me wanna do a xenophobic hate crime to him, a little bit.

(In that Oliver is British and I am Mexican-American.)

But also idk if it was even his fault bc probably the whole cast says it that way?? Like it'd be kind of strange to have multiple pronunciations going... but also Eddie literally speaks Spanish, would they really make him say it like that??? His own girlfriend's name?

idk obviously as Latinos in the US we have a complicated relationship with our language and culture, and i DO know plenty of people who go by the anglicized pronunciations of their Hispanic names.

I've just always thought Marisol is such a pretty name!!! But the anglicized pronunciation is so much less so....😢 like? "Mare-ih-saul"????? 😒

[violettathepiratequeen]

May 18th, 2025

Hello there, gentle viewers! Welcome back to Buffy Slays, where I’ll be going through all 144 episodes of BtVS over the course of a year, highlighting as many of the GOOD moments, lines, character choices, worldbuilding moments, etc. etc. as I think people will have the patience to read. 

So, here we go! 

Season 2, Episode 9, “What’s My Line? Part 1.”

As career week at school has Buffy wondering what her future may have been like, Spike hires three professional assassins to ensure she has no future at all. (Pulled from Hulu.)

If you're reading along and haven't finished the show, consider this your Spoiler Warning for discussion of future episodes and major plot points in any and all of these posts.

Episode Number: #21 Episode Ranking: #111 out of 144. Writer: Howard Gordon & Marti Noxon

Top 5 Quotes:

“What, and suck all the spontaneity out of being young and stupid? I'd rather live in the dark.” “You're not gonna be young forever.” “Yes, but I'll always be stupid.” —Xander and Willow

“Well, I’ll just jump off that bridge when I come to it.” —Buffy

“But the Order of Taraka, I mean, isn’t that overkill?” “No, I think it’s just enough kill.” —Dalton and Spike

“You know why? I am immature. I’m a teen, I have yet to mature.” —Buffy

“I am Kendra the vampire Slayer.” —Kendra

How “What’s My Line? Part 1” Slays:

This opening scene where the Scoobies take their aptitude tests is so fun. It’s snappy and quick and packs a lot in; Xander is irritated that there’s no “none of the above” answer, Buffy says she’s only here because Snyder isn’t happy unless she’s jumping through hoops, Willow comes down on the side of shrubs. It’s fun to watch, and fun to see their reactions, and it’s ALWAYS fun to see a mandatory school event that is just so inane and unimportant to all the supernatural stuff going on, but Snyder’s regime of power marches on, and we must participate in all the school activities.

Spike’s attitude, ricocheting from scary to loving and back to scary in the blink of an eye. He’s hollering at Dalton to make the text make sense, and snaps at Dru not to interrupt him while he’s working. But she starts falling, unable to stand anymore, and he’s instantly there, catching her and shushing her and sitting her down, earnestly apologizing for his temper like he always does. He kneels in front of her, takes her hand, kisses her gently, and when he stands up again, he’s still holding her hand, ready to threaten Dalton into finding the cure for his lady. He pores over that book until he finds the answers, but also sits with Drusilla in bed when she’s too weak to get out of it, watching as she plays with her Tarot cards. He tells her when she’s well again they’ll have a coronation for her, and when he finds her cure, he picks her up and twirls around with her, which is possibly my favorite Sprusilla moment, haha, because they look so sweet and young and in love, with his coat and her dress twirling, and we were robbed of having that for any other couple in this show.

Mr. Gordo makes his debut in this episode. He’s only mentioned in three episodes, but is a beloved character of the Buffyverse all the same. And I do enjoy that Buffy sneaks into her room out of habit to find Angel cuddling with her stuffed pig, which she gives him a hard time about!

Just like in the Witch episode, when Xander checks the board for his aptitude results, he checks for Willow and Buffy as well. He’s willing to dig his way through crowds to get answers his friends are waiting for so they don’t have to, and I love that about him. He also says that Buffy and Willow know him better than anyone, and asks if they agree with his placement as a prison guard.

Oz and Willow’s meet-cute. They were the only two smart enough for their aptitude tests to be irrelevant, and are the only two selected to meet with this fancy software tech guy. Oz is so delighted to see his mystery girl sitting on the couch with him, but all he does is offer her a plate of hors d'oeuvres, and they won’t have another scene until the following episode, lol.

Willy, as a character. Someone who gets one more episode than Ethan Rayne does, but he’s mentioned so often he may as well be a regular, haha. I love this guy for being a little silly, a little slimy, a lot funny, and someone we know absolutely nothing about. 

Giles is particularly parent-like in this episode, and I almost had a segment on it, except that I didn’t have anything new to say about it, other than point out the various ways he is. He doesn’t laugh when Buffy jokes about her death, and makes a point of telling her how unfunny that is. He also tries to encourage her when she complains about not having a future, suggesting that law enforcement might be a way she could continue being a Slayer and still have a job. He scolds Xander for making inappropriate jokes, and when Xander calls him asking how to get to Buffy’s house to check on her, Giles suggests asking Cordy to drive him. Willow falls asleep in the library while doing research, and he gently wakes her, telling her she’s gone above and beyond the call of duty. And I just… ugh, I’m never gonna stop saying this, but the way he was only meant to take care of his Slayer and ended up adopting all her friends as well is so amazing.

Buffy meets Oz in this episode when she’s paranoid about the Order. She grabs his throat and slams him up against a wall, daring him to “try it,” to his great confusion. She apologizes and runs, and Oz comments on what a tense person she is, but I love that it in no way affects his opinion and behavior around her later on. I’ll talk about the Oz and Buffy dynamic as soon as it comes up, but basically… I love their dynamic.

Buffy refers to Giles as Tony Robbins in this episode, as he goes on a “hyper-efficiency kick” in her training. Spike will refer to Adam as Tony Robbins in S4… which is a connection I’m making only because I have no idea who this guy is, and I’ve only heard his name from the lips of both halves of my OTP in this show!

Buffy’s ice skating scene. A lovely moment of peace and happiness and freedom for her that I don’t think she ever gets again, really. She gets a couple minutes of screentime to do it, as well, and I hope she got to skate as long as she wanted in real time, haha. Because she tells Angel that she had a whole ice skating phase when she was little, and wanted to be a professional. And the easy and free and happy way she skates in this scene… it’s just nice, to see her get that little slice of her normal, innocent life that she wants so badly. She kind of trips and falls on her butt at the end of the scene, but laughs at herself even though there’s no one around to see it, and I love her so much for it. 

Both Angel and Giles tell Buffy to run and hide rather than face the Order, something she adamantly tries to refuse, until their warnings start to really scare her. She kills one of them with an ice skate, however, and then goes to Angel’s house to feel safe while he investigates them for her. Kendra finds her sleeping there and tries to take an axe to her head… but her instincts wake her up. Because she’s really a very good Slayer, and could stay and fight the Order just fine! 

Kendra, the vampire Slayer. Someone we are again reminded could exist when Buffy brings up the fact that there can only be one as long as she’s alive. Someone who stowed away in the cargo hold of a plane rather than getting a ticket, lol, and is shown as someone possibly belonging to the Order of Taraka. Who’s all badass and no-nonsense, but tells Angel she thinks it’s funny when she locks him up to be exposed to sunlight. Who doesn't know what a chick fight is, but plunges into one anyway. Who Buffy says “You must be #2” to, thinking she’s from the Order… but even though she’s wrong about that, she’s right about the #2 part, haha. She is Slayer #2. 

The Futures They Could Have Had:

This episode, and really Part 2 as well, have a career fair running at school that’s kind of going on in the background while all this other vampire and Slayer stuff is happening. Buffy, Willow, Xander, Cordelia, and Oz all have to take aptitude tests to suggest what kinds of careers they should have, which none of them will actually pursue (at least not until the comics). Buffy doesn’t even want to speculate what kind of future job she could have, since she gloomily points out it’s all moot. She’ll be the Slayer until she dies, and that’s her whole future.

But I very much enjoy speculating on the futures they could have had. If they were normal, everyday teens who grew up to enter into the fields suggested to them. Because, here’s what their results were:

Cordelia: Motivational speaker or personal shopper Xander: Prison guard Buffy: Police Oz and Willow: Candidates for an extremely elite software company

So I totally could see Buffy being a police officer, and Xander a prison guard at the same facility. Oz and Willow could design fancy security systems as a power couple, and Cordelia could be a motivational speaker they bring in to teach convicts how to turn their lives around. And, you know, probably give them makeovers because she’d have fun doing that.

I would watch that show. I’m sure we could squeeze Spike in there somehow, he could be someone Buffy arrested, lol. 

Spike’s Priorities:

Do I view the world through Spike-colored glasses? Very possibly. However, that allows me to see things that non-fans of his perhaps don’t, so, let me just break down what’s so great about Spike in this two-parter, haha.

He’s only been in three episodes before now, but his agenda is very clear: 1. Kill the Slayer, because that’s what he does, and he’s excited and eager to succeed in killing this one. And 2. Cure Drusilla, his mad princess that he would give up a room full of bleeding victims for, the one thing that’s more important than this whole Slayer thing. Killing the Slayer is his career (in an episode about possible careers, he’s already got his), but Dru is his family, and she comes first.

So, after three episodes of the Slayer outwitting him and sending him running, he realizes he needs to buckle down and work on this Dru problem. And he has been, he brought her to the Hellmouth to get strong, and had someone bring him one of Giles’ books in Lie to Me that he’s trying to decode in this episode. But she’s getting weaker, and he can’t afford to have any more distractions.

So he pulls out “the big guns,” the Order of Taraka, a league of assassins who will just keep coming until they annihilate their target. Dalton asks Spike if that’s not overkill, but Spike knows there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to this Slayer. He’s done underestimating her, fighting her is not something he can afford to risk anymore, and he just needs someone else to keep her out of the way while he focuses on saving Drusilla.

In the episode after this, the conclusion of this two-parter, Willy brings Buffy to Spike claiming that the bounty on her head was “dead or alive” and Spike adamantly says no, he very specifically wanted her dead. But, since she’s here, he’ll fight her. He’ll defend Dru, who is in the process of getting cured with Angel’s blood. And when Dru cries out to him, he stops his fight, he tries to get her out of there, hoping that whatever she got was enough to cure her.

After this he’ll be in a wheelchair, he’ll be in Angelus’ shadow, he’ll be making truces with Buffy to get Drusilla back, because again, Dru is more important than any beef he has with the Slayer.

But once his vampire wife is out of his life, all bets are off, and Buffy becomes the center of Spike’s universe, in one way or another.

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And that’s a wrap on Episode 21! Thank you so much for reading this far!

Previous: “The Dark Age.”

Next up: “What’s My Line? Part 2.” 

(Credit for GIFs in this post: @detectivedawnsummers)

[kingcrimsonvs]

i think i said this before but part 1 & 4 are significantly more enjoyable to read rather than watch #personalopinion

[1doesnotsimplyhavejust1fandam]

Disregarding whether he is actually permanently dead or not, you’re telling me that we’re just supposed to what? Accept that this was Bobby’s last episode, his last few scenes. His non-goodbyes to literally everyone except Athena and sort of Buck? This is definitely such a Bobby way to go, protecting his team to the last moment he can, making sure he’s the only one going down. But he doesn’t even get a goodbye to Chimney whose LIFE he directly saved with his decision to stay quiet? The promo showing Chim struggling with this just proves the point that it’s crazy to think that Bobby would just go without a proper goodbye, even over the radio. And the “worthless” military guy telling HEN??? Why would you do that to my girl!?? And no idea who tells Ravi because he is the one to tell Karen. I get that you can’t show every moment of the downward spiral, but it just seems so cruel. Not that Bobby would sacrifice himself like this, but that the rest of the team isn’t even able to be together when they find out. I mean, Eddie is in TEXAS!!! It’s not real life, so the show is allowed to be careful and send a message with something this big, with a main character death. And they kind of, didn’t?

My video was buffering for pretty much the last fifteen minutes of the show/commercials, but I don’t think the time from when Buck realizes Bobby stayed back to the end of the episode could’ve been longer than five minutes of screen time. And while this isn’t a show that’s killed off mains before, this isn’t a show that killed off mains before. So why was the emotional impact so short and unfulfilling? There’s eight seasons worth of history for this character, I KNOW emotionally impactful death sequences. That was just. So short. If it’s a real death, are they planning on a fulfillment of the characters’ grief, Bobby’s arc, and the team as family dealing with this in the next episode, which is in TWO WEEKS, when irl feelings have already been processed and lessened?

[vagueeyes]

From the BBC Sounds pod INSIDE INSIDE NO. 9, S6E5 "How Do You Plead?" ❧ Director Guillem Morales:

For instance, in "How Do You Plead?", one of the images that came to my mind was a photograph by Jeff Wall–it's called "The Ventriloquist"–and you see the ventriloquist is in a party–a birthday party–and you see all the balloons floating against the ceiling. [...] It was a kind of, the perfect image to tell the audience when Urban reaches Webster's flat, that there was a birthday party there and probably there were guests holding those balloons. And now those guests, they are gone. They have left.