BUFFY reviews eps 4.17 thru 4.22
I provided your website url to my contact in USA from whence I source my
videos. I was interested in some other opinion on my reviews.
He thought my reviews were ok, also he was very much impresseed by your
website
Buffy ep 4.17 "Superstar"
Buffy and the scoobys come across a whole nest of vampires engaged in a
feeding frenzy. Clearly for this job they need some specialist back-up.
They visit a huge luxury manor-house to speak to the big guy there.
Johnathon Levinson (hey wasn't he the 3 feet tall woos who Buffy saved from
suiciding in the school belltower in ep 3.18 "Earshot" ?) helps plan the
attack on the crypt where the vampires are chowing down. Wonder Johnathon
(assisted by his Fluffy Battle Kittens) slays all the vamps, before he
poses for a brief photo opp, outside the crypt.
Buff's in need of a pep-talk. Sitting at a small table in a cafe', she's
tending on Johnathon as he has a bowl of coffee. They're constantly
interrupted by young women wanting Johnathon's autograph.
There's a new colonel in charge of The Initiative. Johnathon's on staff
too, as a "technical consultant".
A young woman, (Karen) is doing the peeping-tom thing outside Johnathon's
manor-house. A monster jumps out and menaces her, but she manages to
escape its clutches and run away.
Johnathon gives Riley some pointers on his sex-life, (before doing some
target shooting blindfolded and then going onto The Bronze to do a stint as
lead singer).
Karen seeks out Johnathon's help. From her description, he says he
recognises its type as comparatively harmless.
Adam's in his lair plunking away at his computer keyboard. His assistant
is a vampire, to whom all seems ok. However Adam says that some unstable
magic is present and that he can feel inside that the world is just plain
"wrong".
Tara's attacked by the "harmless" monster. She survives by locking herself
in a storage cupboard, but is severely traumatised.
Buffy's getting suspicious about Johnathon. She quizzes Anya on the
possibility of spells creating all pervasive alternative universes. Buff
tells the scooby's about her concerns.
Johnathon arrives at the scooby meeting and reluctantly agrees to lead
Buffy on a patrol seeking the monster. In the cemetary they run across
Spike. He makes with creepy small-talk, but eventually gives them some
information when Buffy threatens to sic Johnathon on him.
At Giles', the rest of the scoobygang are researching books. They discover
that Johnathon has performed an augmentation spell (the monster being a
negative side-effect).
Checking out a cave, Buffy and Johnathon are attacked by the monster.
Johnathon risks his own life, helping Buffy to defeat the monster.
With the death of the monster, the spell is broken and the world returns to
normal. People have only fading memories of the alternative universe,
Johnathon's spell had created.
Buffy gives Johnathon a severe talking-to. (I think the nett result being
that they're both the better for it).
Review by Catherine Jemma 23 June y2k
Here is the first of two reviews, done in time for you to webpage them
before the eps air.
For the time being I have skipped over eps 4.17 and 1.17, I'll catch up on
those later. Over the next week I'll also send the reviews for eps 4.19
and 4.20 and 1.19 and 1...20. I'll do the 17 eps reviews then.
Note that compared to season one and two eps, Buffy has slowly become "more
adult" oriented including more sexually open. I have tried to keep my
reviews "decent" without losing the effect of the episodes. I trust that
given the context they're in, you won't feel it necessary to change
anything before uploading them. However you have my permission to
reasonably edit these reviews, if you feel you absolutely have to.
Buffy ep 4.18 "Where the wild things are"
After a heavy night's slaying, Buffy and Riley are left feeling downright
frisky Afterwards they head on back to Riley's room at his frat-house.
The relationship between Xander and Anya is turning icy. Demons and
vampires have been working together lately and the scooby gang reckon it's
probably Adam's influence.
The frat-house is ice-cold, even though the heating plant's on and the
fireplace is roaring. Buffy and Riley are upstairs, flat-out, generating
some excess heat of their own.
Spike way-lays Anya in a dark street, he tries to scare/mug her. She's not
intimidated (but they do end up out on a date together).
Things are getting a bit weird at the frat-house.. Some kind of sexual
energy is impregnating the place. Anya turns up at the frat-house party
with Spike in tow. Xander takes part in a game of 'spin-the-bottle', which
rapidly spins out of control. While in the bathroom, Willow rescues a
drowning boy from the bath-tub, but he disappears in her arms as she grabs
hold of him..
Willow/Tara/Xander seek out Buffy, but Rileys room door is suddenly
overgrown with ivy and roots. An 'earthquake' scares the partygoers
(including the scoobygang) outside. The scooby's seek out Giles' counsel..
Willow's research turns up that the house was formerly used as an orphanage
for disadvantaged kids. They seek out the (now retired) house-mistress.
Apparently a harmless old lady, it transpires her hard-line religious zeal
and rein of sexual repression is at the root of the problems at the
frat-house.
The scoobygang splits into two teams. Willow/Tara/Giles use witchcraft
while Xander and Anya go the brute force way. Eventually their combined
efforts prevail, much to Buff and Rile's consternation.
Review by Catherine Jemma 12 June y2k
I have done 2 reviews but'll only have time to type one in today
Buffy ep 4.19 "New Moon Rising"
The scoobygang (including Tara) have all met at Giles'. There's not much
to report though. As the meeting's breaking up Oz arrives He says "Hi !"
Makes arrangements to meet Willow later that night, and leaves.
Later, while Buffy and Riley are out patrolling together, it comes up in
conversation that Oz is a werewolf Oz stops by Willow's dorm-room and they
go outside for an evening walk. The light of a full moon shines down upon
them. Now that he's got "The Wolf" under control, Oz wants to re-establish
his relationship with Willow. They return to Willow's room, "just to
talk". No, really. They just sit and talk right through the night until
morning comes. Just then Tara stops by. As shy as ever, she does a runner
when she sees Oz in the room.
Buffy and Riley are just getting up (arguing with each other about what
constitutes "evil") when Forrester enters Riley's room with an urgent
message. During the night things went pear-shaped for one of the teams.
One of Riley's soldierboy buddies was killed and another was seriously
wounded. Riley rushes off to help nab whatever monster may've been
responsible.
Buffy returns to her dorm-room. Willow tells her about the all night
talk-fest with non-wolfy-Oz. She hints that things with Oz might not work
out "because of Tara, it's complicated". The penny finally drops with
Buffy, as to why Willow and Tara have been hanging out together so much
lately. Buff's right freaked out at first, but after a few moments, she's
ok with it.
Adam visits Spike in his crypt. A deal is struck between them Willow
visits Tara in her dorm-room. Comforting words become a hug that......
Later in the corridor Oz smells out Willow. He calls out to her, but it's
actually Tara. During the conversation that ensues, he twigs as to why
Tara smells like Willow Losing his mental control he gives a warning to
Tara just as he starts to wolf out. Tara's rescued when a bunch of
Initiative-ates bag and tag wolfy and drag him away. The scooby's
rendezvous at Giles' to try to work out a plan to rescue Oz.
Meanwhile Oz-wolf is in a cage at the Initiative's underground complex.
Riley's about to put a bullet in his head, when he human's-out just in
time. This isn't all good news though, as the sickos in lab-coats chain Oz
to an examination table and experiment with torturing him.
Spike turns up at Giles', offering to lead the scoobys into the lab via a
secret back entrance. Meanwhile Riley's helping Oz to escape when they're
both caught. Riley's chucked in the brig by the new base commander.. A
real hardline 'career' soldier. While Giles and Anya sabotage the
electricity supply to the college campus area (including The Initiative),
Buffy takes the new base commander hostage. The scooby's, Spike, Riley and
Oz escape The Initiative's underground complex. Riley punching his boss'
lights out, just as he leaves.
The group splits up. Riley and Buffy and a bunch of camping gear are
esconced in the burnt out remains of the old Sunnydale High school.
Oz and Willow have a heart to heart talk, and a long hug, before he drives
off in his van (again !). Willow goes on to Tara's room. The electric's
still out, and Tara's sitting in the dark. Willow offers her candle.. Tara
though reckons the light it provides is surplus to their requirements and
gently blows it out.
Review by Catherine Jemma 13 June y2k
Buffy ep 4.20 The Yoko Factor
The soldierman Head Honcho at The Initiative is on videophone with
white-hairedold fogey type in Washington. They want their missing
"prototype" back, and Riley as well.
Spike's at Adam's place. They're having a heart(less) to heart(less) talk.
The plan they hatch is to seperate the slayer from her support. Or more
exactly, Spike's plan is that they'll seperate themselves from each other.
Xander stops by the old Sunnydale High School and drops off some supplies
to Riley. While there he lets slip some info on Angel that Buffy had
"forgotten" to tell Riley, when they had their big honesty chat earlier.
Spike turns up at Giles' again. He claims he wants to make a deal
regarding some of Professor Maggie Walsh's research info, that Spike claims
he can steal from The Initiative. But Giles' word isn't good enough for
him, the deal's got to be directly with The Slayer.
Riley visits Buffy in her room. She's just got back from visiting Angel in
L.A. (Refer to ep A 1.19) After exchanging just a few words each way, he
leaves.
Xander and Anya deliver some army style clothes to Spike. Spike sows the
seeds of discontent between them by dropping a mention of Xander's plans to
leave Anya and sign up for the army. It's all lies of course, but Anya
doesn't know that.
On daytine patrol, Buffy runs across Forrester (the black soldierguy from
Rileys team). They're checking out a cave in the woods together when
they're surprised by Adam. Their electrical blaster guns are totally
in-effective against him. He dis-arms them both and kills Forrester.
Buffy barely escapes from the cave with her live, running away through the
woods, she slips and hits her head on a rock, knocking her out cold for
several hours.
Spike turns up at Giles' and hands over some computer discs, supposedly
Prof Walsh's research data, he's stolen from The Initiative. While there,
Spike slips in a few carefully contrived comments. More seeds of
dis-content. This time between Willow/Tara and the rest of the scoobygang.
Riley's been monitoring Initiative radio-traffic, from his hidey-hole in
the ruins of Sunnydale High. He rushes off to help, when he hears a couple
of his old mates calling a "May-Day". In an alleyway Riley runs across
Angel and testosterone goes bigtime for a bit. They break off their fight
and run off (seperately) into the night, as a truckload of Initiative-ates
turn up.
After regaining consciousness in the woods, Buffy's just got back to her
dorm-room, after her run-in with Adam. (And she's looking a wee bit
second-hand, too). Angel turns up, followed a few moments later by Riley.
Angel apologises to Buffy for the way he treated her in L.A. and leaves.
The scoobygang's all at Giles'. Willow's laptop's having no luck reading
the encrypted computer discs Spike supplied. Giles meanwhile is as drunk
as a skunk. Tempers flare and harsh words are said all 'round. A huge
argument erupts and Buffy walks out.
Spike's plan has worked a treat. The lies/seeds of discontent he's sown
have blossomed. The scoobygang's splintered and Buffy's on her own with no
support or back-up.
Meanwhile Riley visits Adam in his secret hide-out (How ? Why ?)
........."TO BE CONTINUED"
Review by Catherine Jemma 13 June y2k
Golly aren't you just the cleverest little cookie. Doing it all the hard
old fashioned HTML way.
Usually I prefer older more manual ways of doing things, eg I far far
prefer manual gearbox to automatic. I do love these auto breadmakers
though. I've had one since 1991. I'm on my third, I have worn out the two
before. When I make bread the old fashioned way it takes me half the day
and comes out fit for chookfood ! Thank goodness for some automatic
things.
Buffy ep 4.21 "Primevil"
Buffy checks out the old SHS, but Riley's no longer in his abode of post
apocalypse splendour. He's in Adam's batcave and Adam's giving him the
"We're both Maggie's children" peptalk.
Spike drops by begging for his promised chipectomy, but is sent away by
Adam to put the finishing touches to his plan. He has to ensure that Buffy
actually gains entry into The Initiative.
Will' and Tara call at Giles' to collect Willow's computer and the
encrypted discs. The girls are like perky little bunnies. Giles is not.
Anya calls on Xander. He's lazing the day away in bed. He reckons he's
just a stupid and useless un-employed bum. Anya comforts him. "Yeah you
are, but I love you anyway".
Buffy, while patrolling some caves alone, discovers Adam's computerised
batcave. But it's deserted. Adam's taken Riley and moved on to a hidden
lab. (Atttached to The Initiative's main base, but with access via its own
secret entrance). On her way out of the caves Buff runs across Spike. He
drops hints that she should chase up Willow re information on the
en-crypted computer discs.
Meanwhile at Tara's, the computer discs are now de-crypted. The scoobys
(excluding Tara and Anya) arrange to meet on campus. A somewhat clumsy
reconciliation ensues. Willow passes on the info she's gained from the
computer discs.
Back at Giles', the 4 core scoobys hatch a plan. After tooling upto the
max, they enter the frat-house by walking in the front-door, and The
Initiative by abseiling down the elevator shaft. At the bottom of the
elevator shaft, they're greeted by gun-toting soldierboys and invited to
become prisoners.
Adam's tapped into The Initiative's security cameras and is not a happy
chappy to see The Slayer asssisted by her band of Slayerettes. Spike's in
danger of losing his head, but manages to escape from Adam and Forrester.
Buffy warns the colonel that Adam's pulling a Trojan Horse job on The
Initiative. The colonel doesn't believe her. Then the main power goes
down, all the security cameras go off-line and the demon containment cells
all open their doors (courtesy of Adam over-riding the system using a
master control computer in the secret lab).
Soldierboys run off to have a shoot-em-up-fest with the escaped demons,
leaving the scoobygang to worm their way through the ensuing carnage.
Buffy discovers a secret panel in the backwall of section 314, and enters
the hidden lab alone. The 3 scoobys remain in the main lab area of 314 and
prepare the magic spell.
Buffy finds Riley paralysed in a chair. He's unable to help her because of
a mirochip wired into his chest. Forrester and Maggie have got Buffy on a
slab and are about to do some un-necessary surgery, but Riley does a
self-chipectomy and staggers to her rescue.
Riley and Forrester go one on one, while next door Adam's bashin' the
bulldust outa Buff. She makes a good start by breaking off his left-hand
bone skewer, but moments later her eyes pop open as wide as saucers when
she's faced with his upgrade, a heavy calibre machine gun and RPG (rocket
propelled grenade) launcher.
The magic spell that Giles/Xander/Willow have been working on kicks in just
in the nick of time. Adam is not happy that the tide seems to be turning
against him. Buffy gives him a wee bit of a spanking before activating an
improvised emergency-power-Adam-down-procedure.
Demon's about to have 3 scoobys for dinner when they're saved by Spike's
timely arrival at the 314 outer lab. Buffy and Riley help out with
mopping-up operations, while the others head for the exits.
Bigwigs at the Pentagon have a talkfest and reckon that the 314 project
wasn't really worth all the aggro involved and decide to call it a day.
Review by Catherine Jemma 28 June y2k
I have just got back from a few days in Perth.
OK yeah I know it means you'll have to do extra work. But....
After making several postings on ngs, and a personal email to a contact, I
have now substantially changed the final paragraph of the review for the
season finale ep of Buffy
As this might well be consiidered a milestone ep, I would ask you, if it's
not t-o-o much trouble to replace the review submitted earlier with this
one.
I also put in a bit extra about the writing on Tara's back. The segment in
brackets is the new bit
This morning I also did the review for Angel 1.21 which will be sent as a
seperate email
The original review is below this. My computer has put little arrows at
the start of the original lines. I dunno if this is going to be an extra
hassle for you
Blessed be
----------
> From: Catherine Jemma
> To: Endorwitch/Melpomene
> Subject: Review Buffy ep 4.22 Restless
> Date: Thursday, June 29, 2000 1:12
>
> Well this has been the absolute most difficult review to date.
Difficult,
> time consuming and with the largest amount of handwritten notes.
>
> Note that you can edit out the final paragraph if you think it is not
> appropriate.
>
> I also welcome your opinions on this episode , when you have been able to
> watch a good copy of it
>
> Buffy ep 4.22 "Restless"
>
> The action's all over and now it's time to park one's butt and be putting
> the feet up. At # 1630 Revello, Joyce retires early leaving Giles,
Buffy,
> Willow and Xander to settle in for an all night video and popcorn session
> (to calm their shattered nerves).
>
> After running on andrenalin alone for hours, they flake out within
minutes,
> and are all fast asleep.
>
> WILLOW........is in a room, Tara is lying top-less on the bed (on her
> belly). Willow's painting archaic symbols all over Tara's back (it's
actually Sappho's love hymn to Aphrodite). Muttering
> and murmering to each other, Willow says something like "Are you going to
> tell me your real name?" to which Tara replies "You already know".
>
> Willow leaves the room and in the corridor outside, has a few words with
> Xander and Oz. The schoolbell rings and Willow hurries away to the new
> drama class she's just enrolled in. Backstage however she gets confused
> and flustered as the final preparations are under way. The curtain's due
> to rise any moment on a full house. Harmony Kendall's there (human) in a
> mini-skirted milk-maid's costume. Buffy's there in 1920's party garb and
> with ultra short black hair (I didn't recognise her at first !). Riley's
> there in a cowboy outfit. Giles is there as director and during his
final
> peptalk Harmony vamps up and keeps making annoying pretend attempts to
bite
> him. Willow catches occasional glimpses of something dark scurrying
around
> in the background but always just beyond the limits of her vision.
>
> Later as the play begins on stage, Willow's wandering around backstage
> amongst the folds of the heavy velvet drapes, when she again comes across
> Tara. They exchange a few words. Moments later Tara is gone and some
huge
> claws rip through the curtain right next to Willow. Buffy's there
(blonde
> haired and normal again now) and drags Willow through the drapes to
safety.
> They come out into a regular classroom which is deserted. As they reach
> the front of the room, it suddenly becomes filled with students. The
> 'gang's all there including Anya and Harmony too. Tara and Oz are
(almost)
> making out. Willows about to give a book report when something attacks
> her, throws her to the ground, and seems to cut her heart out using a
> primitive knive. The entire class watches on, totally non-plussed.
>
> XANDER.....leaves off watching the video to go upstairs and pee. Joyce
> intercepts him on the landing and tries to steer him toward her bedroom.
> Xander makes his excuses and goes onto the bathroom. He's about to have
> his wizz, when he notices the room full of Initiatives sorts, observing
him
> and taking notes.On leaving the bathroom he finds himself firstly in his
> basement apartment and then moments later outside in a childrens
playground
> on a bright sunny day. Giles, Buffy and Spike are all there. Buffy's
> playing in the sandpit while Giles and Spike are on the swings.
>
> Xander's driving the ice-cream van talking to Anya (who's sitting beside
> him). Their conversation is interrupted, he turns around to see Willow
and
> Tara in the back of the van (dressed and made up very nicely) making out
> They invite him to join it. Anya takes over the steering. When Xander
> gets to the back of the van though, it opens up into his apartment. He
> leaves his apartment via a lower door which opens out into a school
> corridor.
>
> Xander catches a glimpse of something that seems to be after him, but
it's
> always just at the edge of his vision, and he never gets a clear view of
it
> He runs across Giles and Anya. They have important information for him
> which will help save his life. But suddenly whatever they say, he hears
> only as very rapidly spoken French. In Vietnam Xander runs across
> Principal Snyder. After a moment in Giles' place (and who is that
> bare-backed person with the exposed spine we get a glimpse of ??) Xander
> exits to be first in a school corridor then in Buffy's dorm-room. He's
> getting more and more glimpses of something chasing him and retreats into
> Willow's closet. It opens out into his basement apartment. The upstairs
> door bursts open and his dad's there His dad suddenly turns into some
kind
> of warrior and rips Xander's heart clean out of his chest.
>
> GILES...... is escorting his wife (Olivia) and his daughter (a young
Buffy)
> through the sideshow alley of an amusement park. After stepping into
> Spike's crypt for awhile, he exits it and enters The Bronze Xander's
> sitting, heart-less, on a couch, next to Willow who's warning of dire
> consequences.. Anya's up on stage making a hit as a stand-up comedienne
> Giles gets up on stage and sings for a bit until the sound system goes
u/s
> Giles follows the wiring backstage looking for the fault. There he gets
> accosted by the warrior entity and scalped.
>
> BUFFY.......is almost attacked by the warrior hanging above her dorm-room
> bed. Then she awakens in her own bedroom at home. A moment later she's
> standing by the foot of the bed, (like just after she and Faith made it
> earlier, refer ep 4.15). Tara's there. She offers Buffy a Tarot card
and
> mutters a few mysterious words Buffy leaves the room.
>
> Buffy's in the school corridor when she comes across her mum, trapped,
but
> living happily in the wall. She comes across Riley and a (fully human)
> Adam. The two guys go off to fight escaped demons. Buffy offers them
> weapons but when she opens her hold-all it's full only with mud, which
she
> then proceeds to smear all over her face.
>
> The room opens onto an open desert landscape.. Tara's there. (There
seems
> to be some theme happening here). Tara stands off a little to one side
and
> speaks for the warrior, who is slowly circling Buffy, just a metre or two
> away.. The warrior and Buffy fight it out across the desert sands. The
> fight becomes into Joyce's loungeroom, before fizzling out.
>
> All four scoobys awake, un-injured. Sitting around the dining table with
> hot chocolate a-comin' they talk over their experiences. It seems that
the
> spirit of The First Slayer had come intending to kill them in their
dreams.
> Apparently a consequence of the spell done earlier to invoke The Power
of
> The Slayer.
>
> As Buffy retires upstairs afterwards, Tara's words come back to
> her..........
> "You think you know what's to come.. What you are. You haven't even
> begun".
>
> Review, extra notes.........
> This is the most dificult review I have yet done.. I have heard this
> episode referred to as "One of (if not 'THE') best crafted Buffy
episode to date" I don't doubt it. Many fans will find this ep hard to
understand and confusing. However there's a whole load of allusions to
literary classics hidden in there somewhere. Some more subtle than others.
(Maybe props or people in the background and just barely visible). An
English Literature Professor (retired) listed the following literary
classics as relavent....Heart Of Darkness, The Lion The Witch And The
Wardrobe, The Elder Edda, Mabinogion, Tor Flores, Don Quixote, and
Dante's Inferno. Unfortunately for me. the only one I'm familiar with is
TLTWaTW. If anyone would like to chip in, their sixpence worth, on which
books relate to which scenes in this episode, then feel free. Come on over
to the newsgroup aus.tv.buffy And if you reckon you FULLY UNDERSTAND
this episode, then WE ALL want to hear from you. (Remember to head up your
posting "Spoiler Warning ep B 4.22 Restless") And hey, what's
> with the guy with the cheese ? Or is that just a red herring thrown in
for
> good measure !
>
> Review by Catherine Jemma 29 June y2k
>
>
videos. I was interested in some other opinion on my reviews.
He thought my reviews were ok, also he was very much impresseed by your
website
Buffy ep 4.17 "Superstar"
Buffy and the scoobys come across a whole nest of vampires engaged in a
feeding frenzy. Clearly for this job they need some specialist back-up.
They visit a huge luxury manor-house to speak to the big guy there.
Johnathon Levinson (hey wasn't he the 3 feet tall woos who Buffy saved from
suiciding in the school belltower in ep 3.18 "Earshot" ?) helps plan the
attack on the crypt where the vampires are chowing down. Wonder Johnathon
(assisted by his Fluffy Battle Kittens) slays all the vamps, before he
poses for a brief photo opp, outside the crypt.
Buff's in need of a pep-talk. Sitting at a small table in a cafe', she's
tending on Johnathon as he has a bowl of coffee. They're constantly
interrupted by young women wanting Johnathon's autograph.
There's a new colonel in charge of The Initiative. Johnathon's on staff
too, as a "technical consultant".
A young woman, (Karen) is doing the peeping-tom thing outside Johnathon's
manor-house. A monster jumps out and menaces her, but she manages to
escape its clutches and run away.
Johnathon gives Riley some pointers on his sex-life, (before doing some
target shooting blindfolded and then going onto The Bronze to do a stint as
lead singer).
Karen seeks out Johnathon's help. From her description, he says he
recognises its type as comparatively harmless.
Adam's in his lair plunking away at his computer keyboard. His assistant
is a vampire, to whom all seems ok. However Adam says that some unstable
magic is present and that he can feel inside that the world is just plain
"wrong".
Tara's attacked by the "harmless" monster. She survives by locking herself
in a storage cupboard, but is severely traumatised.
Buffy's getting suspicious about Johnathon. She quizzes Anya on the
possibility of spells creating all pervasive alternative universes. Buff
tells the scooby's about her concerns.
Johnathon arrives at the scooby meeting and reluctantly agrees to lead
Buffy on a patrol seeking the monster. In the cemetary they run across
Spike. He makes with creepy small-talk, but eventually gives them some
information when Buffy threatens to sic Johnathon on him.
At Giles', the rest of the scoobygang are researching books. They discover
that Johnathon has performed an augmentation spell (the monster being a
negative side-effect).
Checking out a cave, Buffy and Johnathon are attacked by the monster.
Johnathon risks his own life, helping Buffy to defeat the monster.
With the death of the monster, the spell is broken and the world returns to
normal. People have only fading memories of the alternative universe,
Johnathon's spell had created.
Buffy gives Johnathon a severe talking-to. (I think the nett result being
that they're both the better for it).
Review by Catherine Jemma 23 June y2k
Here is the first of two reviews, done in time for you to webpage them
before the eps air.
For the time being I have skipped over eps 4.17 and 1.17, I'll catch up on
those later. Over the next week I'll also send the reviews for eps 4.19
and 4.20 and 1.19 and 1...20. I'll do the 17 eps reviews then.
Note that compared to season one and two eps, Buffy has slowly become "more
adult" oriented including more sexually open. I have tried to keep my
reviews "decent" without losing the effect of the episodes. I trust that
given the context they're in, you won't feel it necessary to change
anything before uploading them. However you have my permission to
reasonably edit these reviews, if you feel you absolutely have to.
Buffy ep 4.18 "Where the wild things are"
After a heavy night's slaying, Buffy and Riley are left feeling downright
frisky Afterwards they head on back to Riley's room at his frat-house.
The relationship between Xander and Anya is turning icy. Demons and
vampires have been working together lately and the scooby gang reckon it's
probably Adam's influence.
The frat-house is ice-cold, even though the heating plant's on and the
fireplace is roaring. Buffy and Riley are upstairs, flat-out, generating
some excess heat of their own.
Spike way-lays Anya in a dark street, he tries to scare/mug her. She's not
intimidated (but they do end up out on a date together).
Things are getting a bit weird at the frat-house.. Some kind of sexual
energy is impregnating the place. Anya turns up at the frat-house party
with Spike in tow. Xander takes part in a game of 'spin-the-bottle', which
rapidly spins out of control. While in the bathroom, Willow rescues a
drowning boy from the bath-tub, but he disappears in her arms as she grabs
hold of him..
Willow/Tara/Xander seek out Buffy, but Rileys room door is suddenly
overgrown with ivy and roots. An 'earthquake' scares the partygoers
(including the scoobygang) outside. The scooby's seek out Giles' counsel..
Willow's research turns up that the house was formerly used as an orphanage
for disadvantaged kids. They seek out the (now retired) house-mistress.
Apparently a harmless old lady, it transpires her hard-line religious zeal
and rein of sexual repression is at the root of the problems at the
frat-house.
The scoobygang splits into two teams. Willow/Tara/Giles use witchcraft
while Xander and Anya go the brute force way. Eventually their combined
efforts prevail, much to Buff and Rile's consternation.
Review by Catherine Jemma 12 June y2k
I have done 2 reviews but'll only have time to type one in today
Buffy ep 4.19 "New Moon Rising"
The scoobygang (including Tara) have all met at Giles'. There's not much
to report though. As the meeting's breaking up Oz arrives He says "Hi !"
Makes arrangements to meet Willow later that night, and leaves.
Later, while Buffy and Riley are out patrolling together, it comes up in
conversation that Oz is a werewolf Oz stops by Willow's dorm-room and they
go outside for an evening walk. The light of a full moon shines down upon
them. Now that he's got "The Wolf" under control, Oz wants to re-establish
his relationship with Willow. They return to Willow's room, "just to
talk". No, really. They just sit and talk right through the night until
morning comes. Just then Tara stops by. As shy as ever, she does a runner
when she sees Oz in the room.
Buffy and Riley are just getting up (arguing with each other about what
constitutes "evil") when Forrester enters Riley's room with an urgent
message. During the night things went pear-shaped for one of the teams.
One of Riley's soldierboy buddies was killed and another was seriously
wounded. Riley rushes off to help nab whatever monster may've been
responsible.
Buffy returns to her dorm-room. Willow tells her about the all night
talk-fest with non-wolfy-Oz. She hints that things with Oz might not work
out "because of Tara, it's complicated". The penny finally drops with
Buffy, as to why Willow and Tara have been hanging out together so much
lately. Buff's right freaked out at first, but after a few moments, she's
ok with it.
Adam visits Spike in his crypt. A deal is struck between them Willow
visits Tara in her dorm-room. Comforting words become a hug that......
Later in the corridor Oz smells out Willow. He calls out to her, but it's
actually Tara. During the conversation that ensues, he twigs as to why
Tara smells like Willow Losing his mental control he gives a warning to
Tara just as he starts to wolf out. Tara's rescued when a bunch of
Initiative-ates bag and tag wolfy and drag him away. The scooby's
rendezvous at Giles' to try to work out a plan to rescue Oz.
Meanwhile Oz-wolf is in a cage at the Initiative's underground complex.
Riley's about to put a bullet in his head, when he human's-out just in
time. This isn't all good news though, as the sickos in lab-coats chain Oz
to an examination table and experiment with torturing him.
Spike turns up at Giles', offering to lead the scoobys into the lab via a
secret back entrance. Meanwhile Riley's helping Oz to escape when they're
both caught. Riley's chucked in the brig by the new base commander.. A
real hardline 'career' soldier. While Giles and Anya sabotage the
electricity supply to the college campus area (including The Initiative),
Buffy takes the new base commander hostage. The scooby's, Spike, Riley and
Oz escape The Initiative's underground complex. Riley punching his boss'
lights out, just as he leaves.
The group splits up. Riley and Buffy and a bunch of camping gear are
esconced in the burnt out remains of the old Sunnydale High school.
Oz and Willow have a heart to heart talk, and a long hug, before he drives
off in his van (again !). Willow goes on to Tara's room. The electric's
still out, and Tara's sitting in the dark. Willow offers her candle.. Tara
though reckons the light it provides is surplus to their requirements and
gently blows it out.
Review by Catherine Jemma 13 June y2k
Buffy ep 4.20 The Yoko Factor
The soldierman Head Honcho at The Initiative is on videophone with
white-hairedold fogey type in Washington. They want their missing
"prototype" back, and Riley as well.
Spike's at Adam's place. They're having a heart(less) to heart(less) talk.
The plan they hatch is to seperate the slayer from her support. Or more
exactly, Spike's plan is that they'll seperate themselves from each other.
Xander stops by the old Sunnydale High School and drops off some supplies
to Riley. While there he lets slip some info on Angel that Buffy had
"forgotten" to tell Riley, when they had their big honesty chat earlier.
Spike turns up at Giles' again. He claims he wants to make a deal
regarding some of Professor Maggie Walsh's research info, that Spike claims
he can steal from The Initiative. But Giles' word isn't good enough for
him, the deal's got to be directly with The Slayer.
Riley visits Buffy in her room. She's just got back from visiting Angel in
L.A. (Refer to ep A 1.19) After exchanging just a few words each way, he
leaves.
Xander and Anya deliver some army style clothes to Spike. Spike sows the
seeds of discontent between them by dropping a mention of Xander's plans to
leave Anya and sign up for the army. It's all lies of course, but Anya
doesn't know that.
On daytine patrol, Buffy runs across Forrester (the black soldierguy from
Rileys team). They're checking out a cave in the woods together when
they're surprised by Adam. Their electrical blaster guns are totally
in-effective against him. He dis-arms them both and kills Forrester.
Buffy barely escapes from the cave with her live, running away through the
woods, she slips and hits her head on a rock, knocking her out cold for
several hours.
Spike turns up at Giles' and hands over some computer discs, supposedly
Prof Walsh's research data, he's stolen from The Initiative. While there,
Spike slips in a few carefully contrived comments. More seeds of
dis-content. This time between Willow/Tara and the rest of the scoobygang.
Riley's been monitoring Initiative radio-traffic, from his hidey-hole in
the ruins of Sunnydale High. He rushes off to help, when he hears a couple
of his old mates calling a "May-Day". In an alleyway Riley runs across
Angel and testosterone goes bigtime for a bit. They break off their fight
and run off (seperately) into the night, as a truckload of Initiative-ates
turn up.
After regaining consciousness in the woods, Buffy's just got back to her
dorm-room, after her run-in with Adam. (And she's looking a wee bit
second-hand, too). Angel turns up, followed a few moments later by Riley.
Angel apologises to Buffy for the way he treated her in L.A. and leaves.
The scoobygang's all at Giles'. Willow's laptop's having no luck reading
the encrypted computer discs Spike supplied. Giles meanwhile is as drunk
as a skunk. Tempers flare and harsh words are said all 'round. A huge
argument erupts and Buffy walks out.
Spike's plan has worked a treat. The lies/seeds of discontent he's sown
have blossomed. The scoobygang's splintered and Buffy's on her own with no
support or back-up.
Meanwhile Riley visits Adam in his secret hide-out (How ? Why ?)
........."TO BE CONTINUED"
Review by Catherine Jemma 13 June y2k
Golly aren't you just the cleverest little cookie. Doing it all the hard
old fashioned HTML way.
Usually I prefer older more manual ways of doing things, eg I far far
prefer manual gearbox to automatic. I do love these auto breadmakers
though. I've had one since 1991. I'm on my third, I have worn out the two
before. When I make bread the old fashioned way it takes me half the day
and comes out fit for chookfood ! Thank goodness for some automatic
things.
Buffy ep 4.21 "Primevil"
Buffy checks out the old SHS, but Riley's no longer in his abode of post
apocalypse splendour. He's in Adam's batcave and Adam's giving him the
"We're both Maggie's children" peptalk.
Spike drops by begging for his promised chipectomy, but is sent away by
Adam to put the finishing touches to his plan. He has to ensure that Buffy
actually gains entry into The Initiative.
Will' and Tara call at Giles' to collect Willow's computer and the
encrypted discs. The girls are like perky little bunnies. Giles is not.
Anya calls on Xander. He's lazing the day away in bed. He reckons he's
just a stupid and useless un-employed bum. Anya comforts him. "Yeah you
are, but I love you anyway".
Buffy, while patrolling some caves alone, discovers Adam's computerised
batcave. But it's deserted. Adam's taken Riley and moved on to a hidden
lab. (Atttached to The Initiative's main base, but with access via its own
secret entrance). On her way out of the caves Buff runs across Spike. He
drops hints that she should chase up Willow re information on the
en-crypted computer discs.
Meanwhile at Tara's, the computer discs are now de-crypted. The scoobys
(excluding Tara and Anya) arrange to meet on campus. A somewhat clumsy
reconciliation ensues. Willow passes on the info she's gained from the
computer discs.
Back at Giles', the 4 core scoobys hatch a plan. After tooling upto the
max, they enter the frat-house by walking in the front-door, and The
Initiative by abseiling down the elevator shaft. At the bottom of the
elevator shaft, they're greeted by gun-toting soldierboys and invited to
become prisoners.
Adam's tapped into The Initiative's security cameras and is not a happy
chappy to see The Slayer asssisted by her band of Slayerettes. Spike's in
danger of losing his head, but manages to escape from Adam and Forrester.
Buffy warns the colonel that Adam's pulling a Trojan Horse job on The
Initiative. The colonel doesn't believe her. Then the main power goes
down, all the security cameras go off-line and the demon containment cells
all open their doors (courtesy of Adam over-riding the system using a
master control computer in the secret lab).
Soldierboys run off to have a shoot-em-up-fest with the escaped demons,
leaving the scoobygang to worm their way through the ensuing carnage.
Buffy discovers a secret panel in the backwall of section 314, and enters
the hidden lab alone. The 3 scoobys remain in the main lab area of 314 and
prepare the magic spell.
Buffy finds Riley paralysed in a chair. He's unable to help her because of
a mirochip wired into his chest. Forrester and Maggie have got Buffy on a
slab and are about to do some un-necessary surgery, but Riley does a
self-chipectomy and staggers to her rescue.
Riley and Forrester go one on one, while next door Adam's bashin' the
bulldust outa Buff. She makes a good start by breaking off his left-hand
bone skewer, but moments later her eyes pop open as wide as saucers when
she's faced with his upgrade, a heavy calibre machine gun and RPG (rocket
propelled grenade) launcher.
The magic spell that Giles/Xander/Willow have been working on kicks in just
in the nick of time. Adam is not happy that the tide seems to be turning
against him. Buffy gives him a wee bit of a spanking before activating an
improvised emergency-power-Adam-down-procedure.
Demon's about to have 3 scoobys for dinner when they're saved by Spike's
timely arrival at the 314 outer lab. Buffy and Riley help out with
mopping-up operations, while the others head for the exits.
Bigwigs at the Pentagon have a talkfest and reckon that the 314 project
wasn't really worth all the aggro involved and decide to call it a day.
Review by Catherine Jemma 28 June y2k
I have just got back from a few days in Perth.
OK yeah I know it means you'll have to do extra work. But....
After making several postings on ngs, and a personal email to a contact, I
have now substantially changed the final paragraph of the review for the
season finale ep of Buffy
As this might well be consiidered a milestone ep, I would ask you, if it's
not t-o-o much trouble to replace the review submitted earlier with this
one.
I also put in a bit extra about the writing on Tara's back. The segment in
brackets is the new bit
This morning I also did the review for Angel 1.21 which will be sent as a
seperate email
The original review is below this. My computer has put little arrows at
the start of the original lines. I dunno if this is going to be an extra
hassle for you
Blessed be
----------
> From: Catherine Jemma
> To: Endorwitch/Melpomene
> Subject: Review Buffy ep 4.22 Restless
> Date: Thursday, June 29, 2000 1:12
>
> Well this has been the absolute most difficult review to date.
Difficult,
> time consuming and with the largest amount of handwritten notes.
>
> Note that you can edit out the final paragraph if you think it is not
> appropriate.
>
> I also welcome your opinions on this episode , when you have been able to
> watch a good copy of it
>
> Buffy ep 4.22 "Restless"
>
> The action's all over and now it's time to park one's butt and be putting
> the feet up. At # 1630 Revello, Joyce retires early leaving Giles,
Buffy,
> Willow and Xander to settle in for an all night video and popcorn session
> (to calm their shattered nerves).
>
> After running on andrenalin alone for hours, they flake out within
minutes,
> and are all fast asleep.
>
> WILLOW........is in a room, Tara is lying top-less on the bed (on her
> belly). Willow's painting archaic symbols all over Tara's back (it's
actually Sappho's love hymn to Aphrodite). Muttering
> and murmering to each other, Willow says something like "Are you going to
> tell me your real name?" to which Tara replies "You already know".
>
> Willow leaves the room and in the corridor outside, has a few words with
> Xander and Oz. The schoolbell rings and Willow hurries away to the new
> drama class she's just enrolled in. Backstage however she gets confused
> and flustered as the final preparations are under way. The curtain's due
> to rise any moment on a full house. Harmony Kendall's there (human) in a
> mini-skirted milk-maid's costume. Buffy's there in 1920's party garb and
> with ultra short black hair (I didn't recognise her at first !). Riley's
> there in a cowboy outfit. Giles is there as director and during his
final
> peptalk Harmony vamps up and keeps making annoying pretend attempts to
bite
> him. Willow catches occasional glimpses of something dark scurrying
around
> in the background but always just beyond the limits of her vision.
>
> Later as the play begins on stage, Willow's wandering around backstage
> amongst the folds of the heavy velvet drapes, when she again comes across
> Tara. They exchange a few words. Moments later Tara is gone and some
huge
> claws rip through the curtain right next to Willow. Buffy's there
(blonde
> haired and normal again now) and drags Willow through the drapes to
safety.
> They come out into a regular classroom which is deserted. As they reach
> the front of the room, it suddenly becomes filled with students. The
> 'gang's all there including Anya and Harmony too. Tara and Oz are
(almost)
> making out. Willows about to give a book report when something attacks
> her, throws her to the ground, and seems to cut her heart out using a
> primitive knive. The entire class watches on, totally non-plussed.
>
> XANDER.....leaves off watching the video to go upstairs and pee. Joyce
> intercepts him on the landing and tries to steer him toward her bedroom.
> Xander makes his excuses and goes onto the bathroom. He's about to have
> his wizz, when he notices the room full of Initiatives sorts, observing
him
> and taking notes.On leaving the bathroom he finds himself firstly in his
> basement apartment and then moments later outside in a childrens
playground
> on a bright sunny day. Giles, Buffy and Spike are all there. Buffy's
> playing in the sandpit while Giles and Spike are on the swings.
>
> Xander's driving the ice-cream van talking to Anya (who's sitting beside
> him). Their conversation is interrupted, he turns around to see Willow
and
> Tara in the back of the van (dressed and made up very nicely) making out
> They invite him to join it. Anya takes over the steering. When Xander
> gets to the back of the van though, it opens up into his apartment. He
> leaves his apartment via a lower door which opens out into a school
> corridor.
>
> Xander catches a glimpse of something that seems to be after him, but
it's
> always just at the edge of his vision, and he never gets a clear view of
it
> He runs across Giles and Anya. They have important information for him
> which will help save his life. But suddenly whatever they say, he hears
> only as very rapidly spoken French. In Vietnam Xander runs across
> Principal Snyder. After a moment in Giles' place (and who is that
> bare-backed person with the exposed spine we get a glimpse of ??) Xander
> exits to be first in a school corridor then in Buffy's dorm-room. He's
> getting more and more glimpses of something chasing him and retreats into
> Willow's closet. It opens out into his basement apartment. The upstairs
> door bursts open and his dad's there His dad suddenly turns into some
kind
> of warrior and rips Xander's heart clean out of his chest.
>
> GILES...... is escorting his wife (Olivia) and his daughter (a young
Buffy)
> through the sideshow alley of an amusement park. After stepping into
> Spike's crypt for awhile, he exits it and enters The Bronze Xander's
> sitting, heart-less, on a couch, next to Willow who's warning of dire
> consequences.. Anya's up on stage making a hit as a stand-up comedienne
> Giles gets up on stage and sings for a bit until the sound system goes
u/s
> Giles follows the wiring backstage looking for the fault. There he gets
> accosted by the warrior entity and scalped.
>
> BUFFY.......is almost attacked by the warrior hanging above her dorm-room
> bed. Then she awakens in her own bedroom at home. A moment later she's
> standing by the foot of the bed, (like just after she and Faith made it
> earlier, refer ep 4.15). Tara's there. She offers Buffy a Tarot card
and
> mutters a few mysterious words Buffy leaves the room.
>
> Buffy's in the school corridor when she comes across her mum, trapped,
but
> living happily in the wall. She comes across Riley and a (fully human)
> Adam. The two guys go off to fight escaped demons. Buffy offers them
> weapons but when she opens her hold-all it's full only with mud, which
she
> then proceeds to smear all over her face.
>
> The room opens onto an open desert landscape.. Tara's there. (There
seems
> to be some theme happening here). Tara stands off a little to one side
and
> speaks for the warrior, who is slowly circling Buffy, just a metre or two
> away.. The warrior and Buffy fight it out across the desert sands. The
> fight becomes into Joyce's loungeroom, before fizzling out.
>
> All four scoobys awake, un-injured. Sitting around the dining table with
> hot chocolate a-comin' they talk over their experiences. It seems that
the
> spirit of The First Slayer had come intending to kill them in their
dreams.
> Apparently a consequence of the spell done earlier to invoke The Power
of
> The Slayer.
>
> As Buffy retires upstairs afterwards, Tara's words come back to
> her..........
> "You think you know what's to come.. What you are. You haven't even
> begun".
>
> Review, extra notes.........
> This is the most dificult review I have yet done.. I have heard this
> episode referred to as "One of (if not 'THE') best crafted Buffy
episode to date" I don't doubt it. Many fans will find this ep hard to
understand and confusing. However there's a whole load of allusions to
literary classics hidden in there somewhere. Some more subtle than others.
(Maybe props or people in the background and just barely visible). An
English Literature Professor (retired) listed the following literary
classics as relavent....Heart Of Darkness, The Lion The Witch And The
Wardrobe, The Elder Edda, Mabinogion, Tor Flores, Don Quixote, and
Dante's Inferno. Unfortunately for me. the only one I'm familiar with is
TLTWaTW. If anyone would like to chip in, their sixpence worth, on which
books relate to which scenes in this episode, then feel free. Come on over
to the newsgroup aus.tv.buffy And if you reckon you FULLY UNDERSTAND
this episode, then WE ALL want to hear from you. (Remember to head up your
posting "Spoiler Warning ep B 4.22 Restless") And hey, what's
> with the guy with the cheese ? Or is that just a red herring thrown in
for
> good measure !
>
> Review by Catherine Jemma 29 June y2k
>
>
posted by Catherine Jemma at 9:03 pm
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