Buffy the Vampire Slayer 7x07 "Conversations with Dead People" Full Reaction
Added 2021-06-25 21:17:53 +0000 UTC
Comments
I like this episode but it is a little bit of a bummer that Amber Benson turned down a chance to return as Tara. Even though I like the actress that plays Cassie, it doesn’t make a lot of sense that Willow’s conversation with Tara would happen through her. I feel like you can see “the seams” of the writing when they try to justify why it makes sense for Tara to have sent her. After hearing Ambers comments recently about Joss and her time on the show, it seems like it wasn’t a great experience for her and you could see why she wouldn’t want to return. I do feel like it would have been great having the Xander /Jesse conversation. I feel like a lot of Xander’s strong hatred for Angel, Spike, and all vamps goes back to that 2 part pilot episode where his best friend becomes a vampire and he has to kill him. I would have loved to have seen that explored more. And it would have been cool to see Eric Balfour back after he’d gone on to some bigger things since that pilot episode.
Ray D
2021-06-27 18:02:45 +0000 UTCYeah, I love this episode, especially Xander's and Anya's parts. And Spike's lines? All pure genius! Seriously, though, one of the high points of the season. Keep it up!
Khanach
2021-06-26 20:40:03 +0000 UTCI so agree! I remember I loved seeing trailers for the next weeks episode. I still remember how they went about the final few episode trailers 🖤
Devon Martin
2021-06-26 17:14:52 +0000 UTCAdditional comment: my... not headcanon per se... is that the perfect Xander "conversation" would have been Jesse. Would have been cool to see Balfour back. Your Jenny idea is solid, but Robia LaMorte was already a born-again Christian minister by the latter seasons of the show, and in interviews has indicated she wouldn't have wanted to play an evil character/villain in her acting career (and to my knowledge has not). Amber Benson's objection wasn't to evil per se, but more specific to not wanting to have fans of the relationship picture Tara that way. Azure Skye deserves a lot of credit for selling the presentation. She does some great non-verbal acting in her last scenes, you can see a wonderful shift in her countenance as Willow starts to question her, the veil dropping. It reminds me of the same way in the first episode of "Angel" in the teaser when he drops the "drunk" act and you can see it happen without him saying anything. She just hits some sort of internal malevolence button.
Dan H
2021-06-26 15:35:50 +0000 UTCSometimes a reaction will make me feel just like I did that night, and this was one (and yes, that was the air date and time of the episode in the chyrons at the start). Good on you. You have all the same questions we did. It's a devastating presentation, it's entirely surreal, the framing with "Blue" is perfect, and of all the big "Episode 7 kicks off the plot" beats in the "Buffy Formula" I think it's the best.
Dan H
2021-06-26 13:36:08 +0000 UTCWillow: "did i fall asleep", Me: intense Dollhouse reference
Zak
2021-06-26 02:50:20 +0000 UTCpersonally i think Jesse would have been expert, someone so long forgotten bought back and to see how it impacted Xander
Zak
2021-06-26 02:45:11 +0000 UTCThe episode's script is credited to Drew Goddard and Jane Espenson, but the real writers of each story were: Andrew/Jonathan: Drew Goddard Dawn: Jane Espenson Willow: Marti Noxon Buffy: Joss Whedon (Joss also co-wrote the song at the beginning and end of the episode) To this day I don't know who wrote the Spike scenes. There is a shooting script floating around online that's the version where it's really Tara talking to Willow. They must have really banked on Amber Benson being available, but if I recall correctly, she was in the UK working on a movie. Amber Benson has also said that even if she were available, she would have turned it down because she didn't want to be an evil character. Did you recognize Holden as Tracey from Firefly?
Yesmydog
2021-06-26 02:03:40 +0000 UTCThat's my thoughts for Anya. But other comments i agree Jessie for Xander. (But at the same time I'm glad they didn't do jessie and xander because we didn't actually know jessie well so I think the emotional attatchment they would have gone for may have fallen a bit flat for us as the audience. The only one i think may be comparative is the Inca mummy girl who died. As for the Buffy Holden thing, I think what makes that stand out is how in season 6 she had to finally talk to her friends about all her issues she was feeling but then it shows in the end in this conversation there will always be things that come up that she can't talk to her friends about. most recent example would be the fight to the death with anya and her verbal fight with xander over it. How they couldn't accept the choices she had to make, as for andrew well when you have an older brother that summons hellhounds to ruin the prom....not exactly the best role model, i think he latched onto Warren so much just because he was missing the strong person to look up to that he at least seemed to need
Glorie Bluestein
2021-06-26 02:01:37 +0000 UTCDoes anyone know what the plot of the Xander-Jesse talk was going to be?
FernWithy
2021-06-26 01:24:49 +0000 UTCThis is a really good episode that I've gotten to appreciate more and more over the years. The one thing I've really particularly gotten more impressed with is the performance the director got out of Michelle Trachtenburg. Why has she not done more? The girl has serious talent.
FernWithy
2021-06-26 00:52:00 +0000 UTCMy thoughts on the latter not being in the episode are in my review where I am speculative
Liam Catterson
2021-06-25 23:31:32 +0000 UTCFun fact! The mention of Scott coming out was a reference to the actor being on the US version of Queer As Folk.
Sazzynation
2021-06-25 22:48:56 +0000 UTCApparently Xander was going to be talking to Jessie originally but the actor couldn't do it so it's the only one in 7 seasons & 7 episodes that Xander isn't in..
CeNedra
2021-06-25 22:40:56 +0000 UTCEvery time this show takes the time and effort to do an entire episode dedicated to set-up, they nail it. Season 5's No Place Like Home was amazing as well. Fun fact: Willow's visitor was very nearly going to be Tara. That was the original idea, but Amber Benson pulled out at the last moment because she didn't feel right playing this entity and having a version of Tara saying those horrible things to Willow. I agree with you that the version we got with Cassie was better. It allowed the dialogue to flow more naturally because Willow is naturally inquisitive with Cassie who she didn't know. If it had been "Tara", Willow would realistically just hug her and cry uncontrollably the whole time and not really discuss magic or her path in life. Poor Jonathan. He did some pretty messed up things last season, but far less bad than some of what Spike, Willow or Anya have done... he deserved the redemption he was seeking. At least they gave him a nice moment showing that he had grown and was ultimately a good person. Conversely, I always thought Andrew was despicable but had his terrible actions and attitude underplayed because he was often used for humour or his nastiness was eclipsed by Warren. Him killing Jonathan should be taken for exactly what it is, murder in cold blood. Any thoughts on Xander and Anya missing this episode?
Judson
2021-06-25 22:32:39 +0000 UTCGreat reaction. This one is in my top 5. So is another from this season.
Foamy
2021-06-25 22:22:40 +0000 UTCI loved Holden Webster so much. Their scenes in this ep are some of my favorite of the entire series.
indaeo
2021-06-25 22:15:11 +0000 UTCyes! the only one i don't remember very well is season 4's.
Sophia Connolly
2021-06-25 22:01:51 +0000 UTCI do like episode 7's .. all seasons 😁
CeNedra
2021-06-25 21:51:11 +0000 UTC
