Doppelgangland is a very good episode. There’s a version of this essay that is nothing but that sentence over and over again, phrased in different ways. It’s a nearly self-evident truth – this episode is uncontroversially and near-universally beloved. IMDB’s ranking has it as the best episode of Season Three, and 8th overall. It’s regularlyContinue reading “Bored Now (Doppelgangland)”
Tag Archives: willow rosenberg
I Guess Her Generation Isn’t Cool With Witchcraft (Gingerbread)
Please be aware that this essay contains discussion of homophobia, transphobia, racism, antisemitism, general bigotry and hate speech. On the 24th May 1988 the Conservative government of Great Britain, led by Margaret Thatcher, passed a law known officially as the United Kingdom Local Government Act 1988. This Act had many effects, but by far itsContinue reading “I Guess Her Generation Isn’t Cool With Witchcraft (Gingerbread)”
The Magicks I Used Are Very Powerful (Becoming: Part One)
This is the first of four essays on Becoming. The second will focus on the journeys of Angel, Spike and Drusilla; the third on the re-souling debate and Xander’s Lie; the fourth on Buffy’s arc and final choice. “Willow… channeling such potent magicks through yourself… it could open a door that you may not beContinue reading “The Magicks I Used Are Very Powerful (Becoming: Part One)”
The Wolf Is Inside Me All The Time (Phases)
With Angel making the switch from Love Interest to Big Bad last episode, the show switches its central focus too. The first two thirds of the season were concerned with Buffy’s burgeoning romanticism, and asking questions about it.Would she would commit to a sexual relationship with Angel? If she does, how will that go forContinue reading “The Wolf Is Inside Me All The Time (Phases)”
This Is Just My Outfit (Halloween)
“Do you love my insides? The parts you can’t see?” Drusilla asks Spike this question early in the episode, and it lays out the theme pretty clearly. This is an episode about hidden selves, about duality. It’s about taking a look at the characters’ Inner Selves – the parts we can’t see – and comparingContinue reading “This Is Just My Outfit (Halloween)”
I’ve Dropped Anvils (Inca Mummy Girl)
Sometimes, a metaphor within a Buffy episode is tough to tease out. It’s hidden in layers and double-meanings. It might take a third or fourth viewing for it to emerge. Sometimes, it’s a metaphor that was probably never intended by the writers, but emerges upon intense analysis. Sometimes, you discover a completely new metaphor thatContinue reading “I’ve Dropped Anvils (Inca Mummy Girl)”
I’m Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, And You Are? (Prophecy Girl)
Death has been coming for Buffy all year. It has stalked and preyed on the fringes of her life – in a teacher’s chalk, in Luke bearing down over her in a crypt at the end of Welcome to the Hellmouth, in the prophecies of the Anointed, in The Master hurling her into her grave, in Giles’ sad eulogy, in her dead lover, returning to her now, and bringing with him the omen of her doom. It is now written – in the ink of the Pergamum Codex, and in the clack of Joss Whedon’s typewriter. Tomorrow night, Buffy will face The Master, and she will die.
We’re All Trapped Inside His Wacky Broadway Nightmare (Nightmares)
Fear is in the mind. This is the hypothesis put forward by The Master at the start of this episode, as he wraps his hand around the cross he so innately fears. And he’s right, of course. What is any emotion but a series of electrical impulses, hammering away at our synapses? The Master reaches the conclusion that if it is in the mind, then it is therefore something that can be controlled – mastered, as his name would imply. That is an idea that is a little harder to prove, and the rest of the episode is dedicated to discussing: is this true, or not?
Have You Googled Her Yet? (I Robot You Jane)
The 90s were a weird time. Music was pretty awful, everyone got into Tamagotchis, and the Satanic Panic of the 80s moved on from fearing Dungeons and Dragons to a new boogeyman that threatened to steal our children’s souls and destroy society as we know it: a little-known fad called the Internet. (They also fearedContinue reading “Have You Googled Her Yet? (I Robot You Jane)”
It Could Be Witches, Some Evil Witches (Witch)
With the opening two-parter laying the groundwork for much of this season, introducing the characters, the setting, the basic premise, the Big Bad(s), this episode takes the effort to introduce us to the final main element of the show as it was originally conceived – the Monster as metaphor for a Relatable Teenage Experience. The final scene of The Harvest promises a cornucopia of villains (“Not just vampires.”) from the show, but this is the first time we see it in action, with our Witchcraft-powered villain. In a way, this episode can be seen as the third part of a three-part premiere, for how much it solidifies the character dynamics and main interests of the show.
Insect Reflection 