Buffy the Vampire Slayer 3x21 "Graduation Day Pt.1" Full Reaction

The fight between Buffy and Faith looks like a cat fight. Nothing demeaning meant in that - I'm talking about a proper cat fight. The way two cats square off with their hackles raised, stare and circle a bit, then launch into multiple rounds of fur flying, with breaks involving more glaring.

Hazel Angus

Hey, Liam. Quick question. I'm just not quite clear on something. Do you LIKE the Watcher's Council? Or NOT LIKE the Watcher's Council? :P

UTU49

Hey, Liam. You can consult the other Buffy reactors about the Slayalive order and how it has worked for them. Shan did NOT use the Slayalive order because she had minions making up an order for her that suited her and her weekly schedule. Van is also "slaying alive" her way through the Buffyverse. Personally, I don't see any reason to second guess the Slayalive order. It was created by someone who put a lot of thought into it... it's been used by many people... and it will simplify your process for you.

UTU49

Hahaha loved your rant about the council :-D Trivia: 1.) On seeing an illustration of the mayor's eventual demon form, Xander quoted the famous line from Jaws, "We're going to need a bigger boat". He also paraphrases Private Hudson from Aliens stating he was 'Getting short'. 2.) According to stunt coordinator Jeff Pruitt, stunt double Sophia Crawford was uncomfortable with Buffy's signature leather pants, since she felt they were preventing her from kicking freely.

Applause for Harry Groener as the Mayor. What an utterly chilling scene when he strolls into the library. The way he chortles, "That's one spunky little girl you've raised," then turns on a dime, "I'm going to eat her." *shivers* Sometimes he reminds me a bit of Ted, the way he can shift into evil and back into affability seamlessly.

Rachael

Council mad = Me with a shit-eating grin on my face

Liam Catterson

Buffy intentionally beat the shit out of Ted. She didn't mean to kill him, but she didn't just defend herself, she let her anger get the best of her and used her superior strength to kick what she thought was a human being down the stairs. Faith did no such thing with Allan. We can debate whether or not her general recklessness prevented her from noticing in time like Buffy did (Buffy's "Faith, no!") but other than that, there's nothing she could have done differently.

KT

There are no other slayers out there, only Buffy and Faith, which is why the council will be so mad about Buffy quitting. They now have no 'soldier' to control.

HuntingSwan

I love the SlayAlive order. The reactors seem to enjoy it also -- like they really get into watching an intense mini-arc on say, Angel, but then when it's time to switch back to Buffy, they're excited, and I feel the same way.

Rachael

Yeah Liam Duke and Introvert Reacts are both using the slay alive order. It seems to flow better than others I've seen.

BHillzebub

I don't want to condone Faith's bad behavior, but her first 'kill,' the deputy mayor, was an accident, for better or worse. I think she really did care, despite her protestations, but the judgment she felt was coming her way drove her to the Mayor, who gave her a decent place to stay, plus love and acceptance, which I don't feel is something that Faith has had a lot of in her life. She's taken two other human lives. There was the courier with the box, although for all we know he may not have been human, and was definitely shady. Poor Professor Worth, however... That was murder. On the other hand, let's not play down what Buffy had done, either. For all the bad things that Faith did, she never tried to kill Buffy or any of her friends. I think that poisoning Angel was meant to distract Buffy, just like Wesley said. I'm guessing that having it be Angel to suffer was an added bonus for Faith, as it allowed her to act on her envy of what she sees as Buffy having at her expense. But Buffy did go into Faith's home and try to kill her. Attempted murder is a crime in the United States, punishable in some states by up to life in prison. Faith's first kill was an accident. I honestly don't recall all the details of Ted, but Buffy deliberately tried to murder Faith, and I feel that's something that needs to be remembered. Buffy's got a permanent stain on her soul, even if Faith does somehow survive.

Jonathan Bruser

I was actually hoping to find a link before I started S4 so thank you for the list. I am to take it as this being official :)

Liam Catterson

Hey Liam, not sure if you've discussed this at greater length previously and I've just missed it, but I'd highly recommend watching Angel and Buffy as per the Slay Alive watching order: http://slayalive.com/showthread.php/3924-The-Buffy-Angel-watching-guide It's still very similar to airing order, but keeps important eps together. As the creator said "You have the two-parters, the big arcs and some crazy cliffhangers, how do you not watch those episodes together? And the two shows have such different moods that I think it works much better to watch small batches of episodes to truly get into the story of both." Anyway, just something to think about - I would highly recommend doing it this way :)

Dentarthurdent