(Buffy Season 4, Episodes 5-6)
(Angel Season 1, Episodes 5-6)

Change is brewing already on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A little abrupt, and saddening, but it will push the characters into new emotional territory. Never want them to stagnate too much.

Over on Angel, it was so good to see Angel doing something other than the whole brooding thing. The show is really coming into its own comedy-wise, which is important. I don’t need it as light as Buffy, but you can’t have characters like Cordelia and Doyle and stay that dark forever. Read the rest of this entry »

(Buffy Season 4, Episodes 3-4)
(Angel Season 1, Episodes 3-4)

Now that’s a crossover between two shows. Brilliantly and seamlessly handled. This is why I chose to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel back-to-back like this. I knew Whedon had dropped little treats like this in for his loyal viewers, and now I can pretend to be one, too.

It was also nice to see the return of some familiar faces to both series. As I said last week, the casts are pretty lean. And while I can forgive it as we’re getting settled into our new environments on both shows, it’s time to start stretching out and meeting new people, as well as reconnecting with old friends. Read the rest of this entry »

(Season 2, Episodes 19-22)

Good lord, I’m not sure if more could have happened in two episodes than we got in these final two installments of season two. What a completely satisfying ending that absolutely makes me beyond anxious to get on with season three and see what comes next. We got major developments for Spike, Buffy, Willow, Angel, Kendra and even Buffy’s mother, Joyce. Read the rest of this entry »

(Season 2, Episodes 5-8)

I know adults are people, too. Hell I play one in reality. And yet, like Buffy, I never bothered to think much of Giles beyond his role as a Watcher. Now I’m going to be suspicious that everyone with a British accent might have hung with Rupert back in the day. I think he, Piers Morgan and Simon Cowell used to all hang out and pass judgment on all the other kids.

We’re also making steady progress on integrating Cordelia more into the Scooby gang. She’s even less god-awful annoying, though Xander doesn’t think so yet. As for Oz: in four episodes, he had exactly two scenes, where he pined after Willow. When does Seth Green really join this show?

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(Season 2, Episodes 1-4)

Wow, the second season of Buffy really started things off with a bang! There are so many questions based on one scene at the end of “School Hard” about the whole of Sunnydale. Not to mention in that same episode, the debut of Spike; does James Marster just eat up the scenery every time he’s on camera?

In just four episodes, one of which was actually pretty terrible, this show just became about as compelling television as I’ve ever seen. And it really all comes down to these characters. Willow is so tragically sweet that you pine for her to find happiness (which I know she will). I don’t know Xander’s ultimate fate, but he’s proven himself a real hero. Cordy is getting roped more and more into the storylines, and even though I know she’s destined for a whole different spin-off, I’m really curious how she gets from here to there. Read the rest of this entry »

This week in Jane’s World, I saw the light regarding that punk-rocker vampire Spike, and it was bright and shiny. But 24 is making me blue, and those mannequins are freaking me out. Read on for my clacky thoughts, and feel free to add your own in the comments.

Buffy Update: I’m feelin’ the Spike love. I’m in season five of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and when it comes to Spike, I totally get it now. At first, I didn’t understand my veteran Buffy friends’ lust for Spike, but I just watched an episode that brought it all home. It’s the one that ends with Buffy sitting on her porch, all despondent over her mom’s illness. And low and behold, that bleachy-blond Spike really does have a heart after all. He sits next to her, and it’s a simple act that’s also very comforting.

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