Buffy with the Besties #1 - Neo and Red Slay Season 2
Welcome to the first (and so far, only) installment of Buffy with the Besties, a retrospective series in which best friends Keona (aka Neo) and Kirsten (aka Red) take a look back at Buffy the Vampire Slayer! This time around, we tackle season two of the show, along with the finale of the first season. It’s a deep dive into our favorite episodes and characters of the season! Remember: the besties that slay together, stay together!
Personally speaking, BtVS has been one of my top three shows of all time ever since I first saw it all the way through. I came to the show years after it had been off the air, and I fell in love with the dialogue and humor and character dynamics. And, of course, Sarah Michelle Gellar. What a lovely person, and a terrific actress! Kristy Swanson will always be the first to take on the role of Buffy (in the original film), but SMG brought a depth and maturity to the character that I believe is unmatched.
That’s not to downplay the importance of the rest of the cast, either, from Alyson Hannigan as the neurotic and sweet Willow Rosenberg to Nicholas Brendon as Buffy’s male bestie, Xander Harris. Then you have the great thespian Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles, Buffy’s mentor and Watcher, and Charisma Carpenter as the spoiled but actually good-hearted Cordelia Chase. James Marsters joins the cast as the incredible, villainous Spike, along with Juliet Landau as Drusilla, the sexy-though-somewhat-nutty vampire queen.
Spike and Drusilla. And Juliet Landau’s arms.
A couple of standouts in season two would be Giles’ love, Jenny Calendar, played by the incredible Robia LaMorte, and of course, Buffy’s very own paramour, Angel, played by the inimitable David Boreanaz. LaMorte is a lovely presence and a fantastic romantic foil for Giles, since he’s all bookish and square, while Jenny Calendar is open and Bohemian. For his part, Boreanaz not only plays Angel perfectly, but really sinks his teeth into the role when the big shift in his character happens in episode 2.14, “Innocence,” in which Angel loses his soul (i.e. his conscience) and becomes the evil Angelus. Boreanaz nails the role, and plays the role so well that I nearly prefer Angelus to Angel, speaking for myself.
So, over the course of 100 minutes or so, Kirsten and I go over some of our favorite quotes of the season, talk about where we stand with regard to the Great Buffy Shipper Wars (Bangel or Spuffy? You decide!), and discuss our favorite moments in the selected episodes, which I shall list here:
1.12 “Prophecy Girl” - The season one finale lays the groundwork for the entire series moving forward, along with season two’s premiere episode…
2.01 “When She Was Bad” - After the traumatic experiences of the season one finale, Buffy needs an attitude adjustment as she becomes distant and cold toward her friends.
Angelus loves his shiny orbs.
2.07 “Lie to Me” - An old friend from Buffy’s grade school days returns, but is he really as innocent as he says he is? Chances are, nope.
2.13 “Surprise” - It’s Buffy’s birthday, and she and Angel decide to seal the deal, which leads to a loss of…
2.14 “Innocence” - After they have their fun in bed, Angel has a moment of pure happiness and loses his soul, becoming the evil Angelus in the process. Eek!
2.17 “Passion” - Angelus continues to torment Buffy and her loved ones, while the stakes (no pun intended) of the show are raised after Jenny Calendar dies by Angelus’ hand.
2.21 & 2.22 “Becoming 1&2” - Buffy fights her way to Angelus with the help of an unexpected ally. Willow’s spell to re-ensoul Angel actually works, but in order to stop the impending Hell portal which threatens to envelope the Earth, Buffy must sacrifice the love of her life.
So, there you have it, folks, our first Buffy with the Besties episode! Thank you so much for all the support you guys have given us as we’ve started this movement! I hope all of you are safe and sound, and please don’t hesitate to join the RPC Facebook Group, and follow us on Twitter! We’re just getting started and still learning as we go, so please bear with the rough patches and continue to share the site and podcast!
Buffy has a rocket launcher. Your argument is invalid.
Special thanks to Kirsten for joining us on this special episode! Please follow her on Instagram and on Twitter and maybe, just maybe… We’ll get this series up and running again in the near future! I know I want to. See you all next time!!!
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