movieking

mmmm_cookies

I thought this episode was really enjoyable, even though it didn't really further this year's story arc. This didn't feel like your typical Buffy episode, it kinda felt like Buffy was channelling Boston Public or something, and the music sounded like it was lifted off of American Beauty.

movieking

I agree that it was like a bit of Boston Public with the Twilight Zone thrown in. I hope it gets back on track next week, because I didn't particularly like this episode.

mdc3000

I thought this was the best episode so far this season... very well done and interesting...

MATT

although, Anya and Spike should have been in it more, i can handle it, as long as next week they are the stars...

bedhead_75

I found this neat little faux website relating to "Help". I haven't even seen tonight's episode yet, but I AM addicted to the spoilage so, here is the link:

www.cassienewton.com

it's interesting...

oh yeah, forgot to add: it was created by the writer of "Help"; Rebecca Rand Kirschner

spainlinx0

I enjoyed the episode, but thought it was really weird that they would do all that work, save the girl, and still have her die? Sounds like what they were adding to the main story arc was some foreshadowing. Especially since they kept mentioning that sometimes you just can't help. Then again the girl said Buffy would make a difference so who knows. Still I thought the episode was fun to watch and had some creepy parts that worked such as the girls bedroom and the poems they read aloud I thought were pretty interesting, even though I think along Xander's lines when it comes to poetry. Seriously though, all I could think about would be death if I slept in that room.

costanza187

I really enjoyed this episode...I agree that with the statement that it was the best one so far this season.

Adam Tyner

Hey, nice seeing Millie again.

This is mildly amusing:

http://www.netsol.com/cgi-bin/whois/...&SearchType=do

dolphinboy

I liked seeing Millie too. But not the kid from Home Improvement. Maybe "Millie" will be involved in some other shows as part of Dawn's student body.


I thought it was a good show, but not great. That was Azura Skye, I think, as Cassie and she is a very good actress. The point about not being able to help but still showing up for work was a good one, but, I too, didn't want her to die and get to see her cousins grow up to be fat.


But please god don't next week.

Breakfast with Girls

I thought for sure that Cassie was going to be a potential slayer killed off my the Slayer Killin' Crew, cueing Buffy in on the whole thing. Maybe it's too early for that just yet. Great episode all the same.

Breakfast with Girls

btw The phone number on the WHOIS spells out "I hate me."

Jadzia

I really like Dawn's line:

"I figure Mike Helgenberg as the perp. Let's collar him before he gets all lawyered-up."



I guess I find that funny from all the CSI shows I've been watching. Was Mike's last name a reference to Marg?

I also liked Buffy's line about "Blue Clam Cult".

cooper2000

The writing reminded me of last season. Good idea but bad execution and I thought of it as a Boston Public Episode too.
Seemed overly long and just plain Blahhh.
I didnt recognize the writer and I am hoping she goes away.

The only thing this episode showed me is that Buffys Glory days are over.

adamblast

Loved it. Best stand-alone ep in a while. The most telling line was nearly hidden as a throwaway--

Cassie to Spike: "She'll tell you. Someday she'll tell you."

I think the meaning of that is pretty clear. Before the show is done, Buffy will say "I love you" to him, and mean it.

MrN

God, I hope not - and to do it with foreshadowing that obvious is even worse.

Anyway, I thought this was a good 'one-off' episode. Lot of emotional stuff, but the kinda stuff that reads better than it looks (IMO.)

Looking forward to next week...

MrN

Another interesting thing is they list Sunnydale's zip code as 94086, which is actually downtown Sunnyvale, CA - the very zip I happen to live in...

B5Erik

I thought it was OK. I wouldn't want more than 2 or 3 episodes in that style in a season, but it was entertaining - if a bit slow for the first half hour.

We're WAY to early into the season to judge it yet, but so far the set-up is looking good. I'm just hoping it starts paying off before February...

Patman

I thought last night's episode was okay, not great.

I get bored with Buffy the guidance counsellor. It's like she's interviewing for paranormal activity in her day job. I hope we aren't subjected to a lot of Buffy's day job this season where she goes door to door combatting teen problems (like visiting Cassie's dad in the middle of the night).

The rocks placed on Tara's grave by Willow was a nice touch. I didn't remember Tara's last name being Maclay (for some reason, I thought it was McLean). It was good to see Willow in CSI/geek mode without wanting to use magic as an afterthought to do the research on Cassie.

How come Spike looks like a wreck in one scene (in the school's basement), and then in the end, he's all cleaned up, looking sharp. Even if Spike's chip is still working, it's not working at 100% anymore. He was able to get off 3 good punches with little ill effect. I'm guessing his chip will be a memory by the end of the year (by him being able to manage the pain, or simply ignore it now that he's got larger issues to deal with inside his head with the restoration of his soul).

I found it a bit lazy in how they used Cassie the high school precog to drop in bit of foreshadowing in a clunky way (with regards to Spike's adoration of Buffy, and the other bit for Xander IIRC). It almost rivalled the "If you build it, it will come." premonition/foreshadowing from "Field of Dreams". I guess Minority Report has made "precog" a pop cultural term nowadays.

Leave it to Xander to use hammering a nail an analogy of Willow's quest for control of her big-time witch powers.

So, are we to assume that Dawn wasn't really on the right track w/r/t Cassie's situation (with Mike).

Next week's episode looks to be more interesting and promising.

Jadzia

You might be thinking of the singer Tara MacLean-- who has put out several albums on Nettwerk records. I don't recall if they've ever given Tara a last name on Buffy before.

I was wondering about the grave. Who paid for Tara's burial and did they ever have a funeral? I know Tara had a strange family that livedin the midwest somewhere, so I was kindo f surprised she was buried in Sunnydale unless the Scoobs arranged thefuneral, etc. It just seems like if a 20-year old died that would be something her family would do, and I would have been surprised they buried there.

Patman

Tara came from a dysfunctional family. There was an episode in season 5 (I think) where they came into town to "claim" Tara, but Buffy chased them off. So that's probably why her family didn't come back and have Tara's body buried somewhere else. Xander's pulling good coin doing construction management, so he probably forked over the dough to cover the funeral expenses.

Wizdar

I like Patman’s observations on Spike. But I don’t think Spike will have much time for pain management. I think he’s too busy being pathetic.

This is all he does, sitting in the basement in a catatonic state? And suddenly he’s all helpful and shows up to save the day? I don’t think so.

Am I the only one who was creeped out with their going through the kids’ lockers? Granted, it’s been a while since I was in school, and things are different now. But it still bothered me.

The kid from Home Improvement. I’ve finally found somebody I dislike more than Wil Wheaton.

Patman

That Home Improvement kid was also a bully on Ed last season IIRC.

Dr. DVD

I think there might be more to this episode in the big picture sense than meets the eye.

About next week:

Draven

I thought it was a very enjoyable episode. I thought they were going to go the whole "after school special" route with the kids problems, but instead most of them were pretty unusual and funny. It was handled very well.

Agreed on Dawn's "lawyering" up line. So far we haven't done any "Dawn the Vampire Slayer and her Mini-Scoobs" stories, so I am happy with her character.

We all knew Cassies was going to die. I honestly thought the crossbow was going to get her. But what she saw came true, no matter what. So there was nothing Buffy could do to stop it.

Some great laugh-out loud moments, some interesting foreshadowing and seeing the kid from Home Improvement getting kicked in the gut = thumbs up from me!

Patman

Maybe the scare factor from the arrow is what did in Cassie's weak heart.