Buffy the Vampire Slayer 3x02 "Dead Man's Party" Full Reaction

I've always hated this episode. For me it is the first time Buffy's "friends" all showed their true colours. They seem to love her when she is protecting them and making them feel good about themselves but they turn on her the second things don't go their way. Unfortunately it seems to be a trait they don't grow out of as they get older.

Nichola Robson

Fantastic post. I actually really like this episode because you can see everyone's point of view. Their reactions are organic and come from the characters and their situations. Buffy is my favorite character and I empathize with her, but then I know everything she went through, her mom and her friends do not. In a lesser show, they might have largely ignored that Buffy disappeared for months and the characters would have been "yay, you're home". They did need to deal with the emotions and consequences of Buffy running away. Also, Giles, totally makes this episode, with his private, quiet moment in the kitchen when Buffy comes home, such great acting by Anthony Head. Then there's one of my favorite quotes, "Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It raises the dead!' Americans."

Kirby

This is such a hard episode to unpack. I've been wanting to leave a comment about this one for a long time, but didn't know how to express what I feel about it. I still don't know if I can. I know some of my opinions might not be the popular ones, but here goes. In a way, I can see everyone's sides. Everyone was in the wrong here, but I also get why they saw things as they did. Willow is the hardest to unpack, so I will start with her. On one hand, I see where everyone--and Liam--are coming from. She was being selfish. Like Liam said, she compared dating a werewolf and casting spells to having to stab her boyfriend in the heart and send him to hell. Or, under normal cercumstances, I would say you were right. The only problem is, Willow DOESN'T KNOW. She isn't comparing what she went through to what Buffy did, because she doesn't know that Buffy had to kill him right after he was cured, or that the portal opened and then she sent him to hell. I'm not even sure she knows at this point that Angel is gone. The last thing she said in the previous season is, "Maybe they want to be alone together." She doesn't know what happened. Then again, sometimes I miss things, so maybe I'm just not getting it. Where I think Willow is in the wrong is in not talking to her when Buffy clearly needed a friend, and then passive aggressively pretending she wasn't. I hate when people play head games, avoiding you and then pretending you're the one with the problem. I love Willow, but yes, that made me mad. To me, Giles was great in this episode. He was funny and the part at the start with him was moving, and his reaction about the mask was great. And I loved him with Snyder at the end. Hello, Ripper. LOL Yes, he may have been avoiding the party, but remember, the woman he loved was brutally murdered, and her body was left in his apartment for him to find, and she was killed by Buffy's former boyfriend. I'd need space too. He wasn't cruel or mean or blaming Buffy, and he didn't verbally attack her. Oz was also good, here. Yes, he brought the party, but I think he was just in the headspace of, Buffy's back, they want a parry, lets have one. And at the party, when he tried to cut in, he was only trying to mediate. He was "refereeing," trying to make peace, because attacking each other solves nothing. As for Cordy, I think she was just trying to help, albiet in her strange, Cordy-like way. Joyce, I could sympathize with. She was thrown, and terrified and worried. She spent the whole summer scared that her daughter might be dead or worse, that she might never come back, she felt like she didn't know or understand her. Finding out what Buffy is made her feel like her own daughter was a stranger to her. And the job Buffy has is absolutely terrifying, and Joyce has no idea how to handle that. She told her to leave, yes, but that's like when people say something they don't mean in the heat of the moment. And she took responsibility for it. In a weird way, even though I hate Pat, I even sort of get her. Joyce is her friend, and to Pat, Joyce was distraught over a daughter with whom she had a horrible fight with and took off. Joyce wouldn't have been able to explain anything about it in detail, because it would mean telling her what Buffy is. And Pat would have thought she was wackadoo. So to Pat, it just looked like Buffy was a runaway teen who made her mother worry for months. That said, she was very passive aggressive and her tone was often subtly blaming without taking any time to understand Buffy before she leapt to conclusions. The only one who I thought was completely out of line here was Xander. Some of his comments were rage inducing. Meet any pimps? Boy troubles? What the fuck even? It's weird, I love Xander too, but sometimes he makes me want to punch him. And lastly, Buffy. I get why she left, I get all of her reactions here, and my heart hurt for her. SMG killed it in this ep. When it comes to everyone else, we have to remember, Willow, Xander, Oz and Cordy are teenagers. They are 16 or 17 year olds who are dealing with things that would make grown, experienced people fall apart. They were suddenly left alone to deal with violently undead, dangerous creatures, who, up until then, yes, they have fought before, but always with Buffy, someone who is trained to fight them and has superpowers, to protect them. They were not told why. They had no idea what was happening to Buffy and she could have been dead. They didn't know Angel was dead, or that Buffy had to send him to hell. They didn't know Snyder kicked her out. They didn't know Joyce had, and so she therefore had no place to live. Yes, she was wanted for murder, but Ox pointed out that she isn't anymore, so in this ep, they thought that issue was solved. They were told NOTHING. And while, trust me, I get why they weren't told, and I do NOT blame Buffy here, that would be terrifying. They are all still dealing with Jenny's murder, as well. We saw how upset Willow and Xander were over it when she died. Lastly, it's difficult for teenager to talk about things at the best of times, and all of them are dealing with some ridiculously insanely horrifying things. They aren't going to have an easy time opening up to someone who, in their eyes, took off for months without a word of explanation, Even if they hasn't felt abanidoned by Buffy and scared for her and themselves, they wouldn't know how to communicate this stuff well, so it's going to come out kind of twisted and angry. Because of this, I can even sort of excuse Xander, because this whole thing has royally screwed with his head. Buffy fell for a way older guy who is a vampire, the same kind of creature who killed his best friend in season one. He went evil and killed Jenny. And Buffy wants to save him. My head would explode. While his reactions are partly because of jealousy toward Angel, and he is being an ass, it would be hella hard to wrap your brain around that shit. LOL I see everyone here as going through a mild version of what Buffy went through in the opening of season two. Maybe not the PTSD Buffy had then, but their heads are not on straight. And they shouldn't be. Hope this makes sense. Liam, your reaction was great as always, and I love you to pieces.

Raven Dark

"It is The Walking Dead. Sunnydale addition." Hee! Liam, you are a comedic god.

Raven Dark

Buffy clearly wanted to talk to Willow, but Willow stood her up, and then made it clear that she didn't want to talk to Buffy twice at the party. I don't think Buffy felt comfortable talking to Giles because Angelus killed Jenny and tortured Giles. She certainly would not talk to Xander or Cordelia, and the last thing Buffy knows of Willow is her message, "Kick his ass." Buffy experienced more than killing Angel, though. Kendra was murdered, Buffy collaborated with Spike to save Kendra's murderer in exchange for help with Giles and Angelus, Snyder expelled her, her mother kicked her out, and the police were hunting her. Buffy figuratively went to hell in L.A., then literally went to hell before finding herself again. There is so much that the Scoobies already know, and much that they do not. I know Willow is feeling hurt and abandoned, but she's being narcissistic. When Oz tries to intervene when Xander is slinging insults like “selfish,” “stupid,” and “idiot,” Willow stops him and says, “We might as well try some violence.” Willow wants to punish Buffy. I know that sounds harsh, but Joyce is a grown woman, and she (drunkenly) accuses Buffy of punishing her in front of everyone. Everyone is behaving very badly here — this is not just the Hellmouth version of an awkward dinner party. This is everyone ganging up on Buffy in her own home, and it’s just *unpleasant*.

Rachael

Do Giles and Buffy's friends know about what Buffy had to do to Angel ? Doesn't seem like it. Don't think Willow would have said what she said if she knew about Angel.

Charlene van As (Ninjari24)

Unfortunately, I don’t think much gets resolved in this episode. The zombies were a metaphor for the feelings that everyone has been avoiding (Xander: You can't just bury stuff, Buffy! It'll come right back up to get you…”). Although they “kill” the zombies, those underlying issues still need to be addressed. Buffy is not perfect, she makes wrong choices just as everyone else does, but the way her friends put her up on a pedestal but also resent her for it if she falls off it, is unfair.

Rachael

I despise this episode. Everyone is awful, except Buffy, who at least tries to talk to Willow, who is actually quite mean to her. Everything that Willow complains about (dating, dating a werewolf, doing spells) -- those were all things she was doing in S2 when Buffy was there. Willow still had friends while Buffy was alone dealing with trauma way more severe than what any of the Scoobies suffered. Even Oz, who is usually the considerate one, is the one who starts the whole hootenanny thing. Giles makes a feeble objection but does nothing to warn Buffy or Joyce about what the kids are planning because he also wants to avoid the dinner party. Xander is obviously the worst: "Look. I'm sorry that your honey was a demon, but most girls don't hop a Greyhound over boy troubles." Boy troubles? F you, Xander.

Rachael

One of my bottom 10 episodes. Your reaction made it waay better😊 Giles is MVP of the episode. Trivia: 1.) Joyce describing Snyder was cut: Joyce: "Have you ever noticed his teeth? They're like tiny rodent teeth - horrible gnashing little teeth. You just want to pull them out with pliers." 2.) In 2002 Kristine Sutherland starred in the English language version of the Japanese animated film 'The Cat Returns'. She played the single mother of a teenage schoolgirl who has a series of wild adventures after discovering she has magical powers (albeit the ability to speak to cats rather than martial arts).

This is a really great reaction! I appreciate the deep dive into what this episode has going for it, especially your thoughts about Willow. While I appreciate that she's her own person with her own problems and not everything is about Buffy, and that if that's the way she feels then it's better to express it than to bottle it up—in this particular scenario, she should have more empathy for Buffy. Willow's problems are valid, and she's right that Buffy should also be there for her, but that maybe wasn't the time to make it about her. She didn't have to murder Oz because he turned evil and killed people close to her. Then again, Willow is a human being, cinnamon roll status notwithstanding. And a teenage human at that. It could be worse, she could have acted like Xander did.

KT