Buffy the Vampire Slayer 3x12 "Helpless" Full Reaction

More specifically, it's about men controlling women, because they fear their power.

Kirby

I love this episode. Fuck the patriarchy, man!

Kirby

Oh, God, the Watcher's Council. Barf. LOL Also, this is easily one of my favorite reactions, and to an episode that is high on my favorite list. I love angry Liam. :D Now that you've watched Checkpoint, I've had a chance to see more of this, and I love it. It's interesting how you said that the last episode (Gingerbread) tested the relationship between mother and daughter, because this one definitely tests Slayer and Watcher. Funny how the writers decided to explore those concepts back to back. Since this episode mentioned Faith, it makes me wonder if Faith ever had to go through a test like this as a slayer. I'd love to see her handle it. She'd probably whip Travers' ass and give the test a big fuck off. LOL When I first saw this one, I wondered why they didn't involve Angel more. But on rewatching, it makes sense. He probably didn't know about the test, and Buffy wouldn't have told him, because he would probably have popped off and killed the Council. The writers likely didn't want him to rescue her the way he normally would have, since this episode is about showing that Buffy is still capable without her powers, and if Angel had saved her, it would have sent the message that she needs a man to save her. Yes, Giles played a role in saving her, but only at the end after she'd defeated the episode's big bad, and he did it as a father figure. That has a whole other vibe, much different than if her boyfriend had done so. Giles went against the Council by helping her, which shows something important about his character--that he loves her the way a father does. Angel saving her wouldn't have showed the same growth. Watching Giles drug Buffy was terrifying. I hate the position the Council put him in. Coupled with the knowledge that they do these tests to keep the slayers from growing up and maintaining control over them, it shows how horrible they truly are. Brilliant writing, here.

Raven Dark

I see Liam likes Travers as much as I do.

stephen henderson

Amazing reaction from start to finish. The rage was perfect lol. Quentin Travers - the most useless prick of useless pricks haha! Gah, the council are bastards lol. I could really go into some things about my feelings on the watcher's council, BUT I won't lol. Maybe later down the line, but... yeah! ergh!

Holi117

LOL finally :-D I was waiting to see you rage about the council!!!! I think you even invented new curse words hahahaha. You never dissapoint :-) I just loooove this episode. It wery dark but briliant :-) Trivia: 1.) According to commentary from David Fury, the original idea for this episode included Buffy being drugged by the Council, and hallucinating, imagining her friends and family as vampires. However, this was abandoned, as it was too close to the premise of "The Wish". Also, Kristine Sutherland couldn't stand the vampire makeup. 2.) David Fury reveals in the commentary of this episode that the name "Zachary Kralik" came from his own nephew's name. 3.) Buffy lists some good things about being a normal girl in this exchange cut for length: Buffy: "I mean, there's a plus side to being a regular girl. The whole not-bleeding-killing-and-dying experience." Willow: "As for example." Buffy: "Then there's buying outfits without worrying if they're good for bleeding-killing-and-dying in. There's a lot of good to it." 4.) The book Angel gave to Buffy for her birthday was Sonnets From the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 5.)Quentin, to Giles: "Cruciamentum is not easy for Slayer or Watcher." Cruciamentum is a Latin word meaning torture or torment.

Man I love this episode, def one of the scariest. And SMG and Anthony Head both do things with their voices in that first confrontation that is kind of unique for them, where Buffy sounds like she's having to strain to speak and you can just hear the lump in Giles' throat as he sees his most important relationship start to fall apart. Another way in which the Watchers are scum is that since they do this to slayers on their 18th birthday, this is essentially a way to make sure the slayers are almost always children. It's a lot harder to impose authority over adults, and the Council as an institution revolves around controlling the slayer. So killing the slayers before they are old enough to assert independence is a way to make sure the slayer power belongs to the Council.

KT

Nooo haha. Just the Watchers. There are other groups that are dicks but I hate these guys so much xD

Liam Catterson

British people are dicks? Oh the irony. Anyway it's a common theme that something crazy always happens on or around Buffy's birthday to her and/or those close to her.

Adam is Magic