"...the votes are in, and it's time for my concession speech." -- So said Xander himself.
This past week, we saw Fear, Itself, and yay, many dingo action players. Thanks for playing, you nifty people! (er, good dingoes?)..Now, here's what y'all said:
This ep. might have been better if:
David Greenwalt had written it.
Rob des Hotel & Dean Batali had written it.
Larry had had a cameo.
Hank Summers had had a cameo.
Nightmares had never been made.
Giles had gone Jason on everyone.
Whatchoo talkin bout Willis? This ep rocked!
The Winner: Whatchoo talkin bout Willis? This ep rocked!
Yeah, yeah, big hit with everyone.
Willow's Joan of Arc costume is significant because:
Of that new movie The Messenger.
She couldn't handle going as Ghastly Ghost again this year.
It's as close to Xena as she could get.
It's the only costume that would match her haircut.
The Winner: It's the only costume that would match her haircut.
Heh.
The Evil Bitch Monster of Death:
Is a better nickname than Slutty the Vampire Slayer.
Probably doesn't grade on the curve.
Would have said the same thing if Buffy had shown up disfigured.
Is the reason tenure scares me.
The Winner: Would have said the same thing if Buffy had shown up disfigured.
Still going with "better nickname."
This episode made me wonder:
If everyone in Sunnydale owns chainsaws.
About chainmail.
What Oz thinks about Yamaha.
When/how Joyce learned the truth about Ted.
Who Joyce's other friends are.
Why Anya's scared of bunnies.
The Winner: Why Anya's scared of bunnies.
But...Ted!
Giles:
Must feel okay about Mexican.
Had a pretty good set-up for Halloween.
Probably wishes all demons were as short as that fearmonger demon.
Probably knows how to use a can of WD-40.
The Winner: Probably wishes all demons were as short as that fearmonger demon.
Okay, why did lots of people pick the WD-40 option? Hm...
Of the ones here, the best lines in this ep. went to:
Oz.
Xander.
Joyce.
Riley Finn.
The Winner: Oz.
The prize for best costume would have gone to:
"Bond. James Bond." (Xander)
"I'm the messenger." (Willow/Joan of Arc)
"And on the seventh day, I rested." (Oz/God)
"What big eyes you have." (Buffy/Li'l Red Riding Hood)
The Winner: "And on the seventh day, I rested." (Oz/God)
This episode made me miss:
The Master.
Billy Palmer.
Wendell.
Laura.
The Winner: The Master.
Then finally, your non-dingo-guided opinion about the episode. Kinda split. While some of you dug this ep. a lot, some of you found it to be a rehash of Nightmares. The biggest hits seemed to be: SombreroGiles, BunnyAnya, and Oz's freakout in the bathtub. (Out of context, this may seem strange.) A big question that kept coming up was: What the heck happened to the other partygoers? (I don't know.) And also, many of you are sick of the Buffy 'tude/behavior of late.
So...let's see what we've got this week, byte-wise.
But first -- Standard disclaimer: Can't post 'em all, but this week I'm posting a good number. Hope the authors don't mind being put up here, and some may be abridged. And again, no name, no bark byte recognition (even though I still like reading what you thought; make it easy on me and put a name on there, please! Thanks!)
moon_lemming said: |
Frogs, puppies, bunnies... it must be another Jossian obsession. *g* |
From CandRach2: |
Oz. God. Makes sense to me. |
From Kristin: |
Why is it always spiders? I could handle snakes...but spiders? GaaaaaaH. I say there should be an Arachnaphobics rights rally along with that short people discrimination thing Willow mentioned in the first ep. Spiders...shudder. |
From Grub: |
Maybe Xander should go find Marcie Ross and ask her for a date... |
Rob said: |
I really don't think it was a rehash of "Nightmares," I mean, I thought the special effects of the house coming to life and the Optic Nerve bats were really done nicely! Plus, Oz as God and the fear demon being two inches tall had to be two of the funniest things I've seen on the show in a loong time! |
Dodge said: |
An okay ep, but it lacked that Sunnydale sparkle, perhaps because some of the haunted horrors felt forced. ....Anybody else wonder if Giles got the sombrero from Xander? It made me think of Inca Mummy Girl. |
Rachel (Cicely) said: |
So, like, this one time, there was this show, and it was good. They called it Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for, like, no apparent reason. Buffy begot Angel, which was kinda okay, sometimes, until they decided to fire Doyle. But, before then, this one time Buffy had a great episode called Nightmares, also for, like, no apparent reason. Then came Fear, Itself for no apparent reason. And it sucked. Other than that, Buffy needs some happy pills. I can't stand her whining any more. Or her pouting, or her Joan Collin's 'tude that Cor isn't here to snap her out of. |
lizbet said: |
I was not happy to see the all-sadness-and-no-kickass-Buffy back AGAIN in the beginning of the ep, but things quickly picked up....this ep is the best so far this season for genuine chills and thrills, with the whole nightmarish buildup to the end. |
From Scout: |
... I thought Joyce's speech to Buffy about not letting people get to close, and the actual mention of Hank Summers, to be just great. |
baronessp said: |
In the words of Vamp Willow, "Bored now!" Anya in the bunny suit was the best thing about the ep.- she's actually becoming endearing. Not sure what's missing - dramatic tension at the least... |
From Jane, the Frog on the Wall: |
So, my theory on Anya and bunnies is as such: way back when, in 1022, Anya was at an Ascension. So, she stands there, after fixing the guy's sheep, and watches as this guy transforms into a gigantic bunny and starts cuting the town's populace to death. Yeah, that's right, cute to death. That's how the Pillsbury Dough Boy has survived. He kills all who oppose him. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! |
StephanieJane said: |
I loved the midget demon, but couldn't they have kept him? He could share AmyRat's habitrail. |
From Tacy: |
This is the first episode this season that really zinged for me... it had it all - thrills, chills, humor, and Giles in a sombrero. |
Seesa said: |
Funny, and it was nice to see how the gang's fears have changed since nightmares. But it was still a rehash. |
katie said: |
This ep rocked! It was cool to see each of the characters change from thier usual routine.( oz crying, Willow arguing with Buffy, and Buffy... well, Buffy was pretty much the same old Buffy. |
pg said: |
Was it nightmares revisited in a way yes, but still interesting. The scariest fear though was Xander's which I think was too real to his own life not to be downright terrifying. |
Lydia said: |
It's strange that despite the threats of Oz turning into a werewolf, Xander going invisible (but not guarding the ladies' locker room as he promised in Invisible Girl), Willow losing control of her magic, recycled plot lines and Anya in a Bunny Costume, I was only scared by Giles's Sombrero. However the Chainsaw can stay. |
MadHatter said: |
Okay. I was so unimpressed by this ep that I spent the majority of my 8 to 9 hour reflecting on... I will have no more comments on Willow's haircut! It is so cute, it pains me, and I think it is completely empowering for our Wil. So there, nyah. |
Yeesh. Okay, well no more picking on Willow's hair right now, then. Heh.
GypAng said: |
....Willow must have been on drugs when she picked that costume, it uber-sucked. |
From rubyluna: |
....I DO think that there is something to willow's "I'm not your sidekick" thing. Shades of trouble to come perhaps??? WHEN oh WHEN is the show going to start taking XANDER a little more seriously? Yes, he's there for comic relief, but, Joss goes out of his way to give us many examples of the traumas and insecurities of X's life, but they never bring it into the forefront..... |
Hitomi Terwilliger said: |
...watching Oz lose it was an interesting event turn. Guess he can be gotten to, provided there's a tiny demon enhancing his terror to near psychotic levels. |
Bunny Summers said: |
I kinda felt bad when Buffy stepped on that cute little demon. Yeah yeah evil and all that, but...cute evil! |
Starite said: |
This ep was alright, but inconsistent in a continuity sort of way. I guess people's fears change. Buffy really needed to have a run in with something nasty from her past, not just random zombies - the master, evil angel, the Mayor, Faith - all very scary, and a bit more interesting. Also, I feel sorry for Xander. The gang needs to treat the poor little non - college guy a little better. |
LoriAlpha said: |
I liked it. It had a lot of Oz, which is always good. I thought it was a nice divertion from all the serious eps., which I can't take that much of. |
Erin said: |
I'm really glad Anya is in dating mode 'cause I'm scared of bunnies too. However... the ending... can you say deflated? Anyways, why is Miss Willow, Jewish daughter of Ira Rosenberg going as a Catholic Saint? After finding the crosses in his daughter's room witchcraft would be a relief... |
SuperG said: |
....When the demon was brought forth, I thought to myself, "Wow, they really went low budget on the special effects. What are they using, one of the action figures? Jeeez!!" Then we find out that it's just a teeny tiny demon. Kind of anticlimactic. And what happened to the other people at the party? Did that guy ever get out of the closet? I want answers!!! |
Rachel D Barks said: |
Yes, it's been done before, but I liked the episode. It was very trippy. The gang was, in fact, acting like there were some bad acid trips going down. Giles was the baby sitter. What could be closer to truth about the first year of college? |
maureen said: |
...lately i feel as though buffy has become somewhat predictable. this week was good though. the special effects were great too. loved the little demon at the end. |
cordystoy said: |
I think the society for the protection of diminutive demons is going to scream when they see this episode, squashed like a bug how RUDE. |
Queen C said: |
Did that part where Xander said "big overture, little show" remind anyone else of when the Genie in Aladdin(the Disney one)said "PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER...itty bitty living space"? ....Anyhoo, very very reminiscent of Nightmares. But it's not all bad when we got to see Giles in a sombrero. Giles is just getting more tacky and American as time goes on isn't he. I love it! Oh and overall I guess it was an "eh" episode. |
The Black Agate said: |
When I read the description in the TVGuide, I thought, again? Is this going to be a yearly tradition, let's have to face our biggest fears and see what they are this time. But the show was pretty good, and went for the immediate, current life style, fears that really made sense. The ending was a little cutsey, but it was good for half a giggle, so that works out okay. I don't think anyone learned anything from the experience, though, because these were the types of fears that are so grounded in reality they don't ever really go away, and facing up to them doesn't help much. |
Sunny said: |
How cute was it for Anya to worry so much about Xander? I love her, she's so clueless. Xander needs someone like that because, well, let's face it, being clueless is a big part of who he is. |
beegle said: |
I thought this episode was very good and in my unpopular opinion, not that similar to 'Nightmares'. 'Fear, Itself' was a far better episode than 'Nightmares'. The Evil Bitch Monster of Death had every right to be upset at Buffy. I wish more of my profs were that mean to people who never showed up to class. BUT...how did she even notice that Buffy wasn't in her huge lecture class? No teacher I have had would notice that. (but there was that Spanish instructor in a 500 person class who decided that I couldn't sleep through her lecture and announced it over the microphone--speaking of fear) Have you seen Larry in the snap.com commercials? YES! Heh. They should totally buy ad time during BtVS, just so it would sorta seem like Larry was among our friends in the 'dale again. Heh. |
Little Willow said: |
I loved the ending's twist, and am a big fan of David Fury written episodes... Some elements were similar to Nightmares, unfortunately, and I would have liked to see them all tortured for a big longer - two parter, even? - but not to fret... for dear JOSS how I laughed with the ending's twist! "Who's the cute little fear demon? C'mon! Who's the cute little fear demon?" "Don't mock the fear demon." "Why, can he hurt me?" "No - it's just - tacky." |
Satan's Bunny said: |
...somewhere in the far future, in a time of great stress and hardship, I will turn to the person next to me and say "Do not mock the fear demon." |
Jonathan M. said: |
...I thought it was advertised that we'd see more of "fun Buffy" not the always "rejected-in-love" Buffy! -What Gives????? You would think that The Gang would have learned to not go to FRAT Houses after the infamous REPTILE BOY! |
theyoung1 said: |
....The fight between Willow and Buffy was great, very realistic. I mean, seriously, how long can Willow hide in Buffy's shadow? She is an intelligent and increasingly independent woman, who needs to create her own identity. Unfortunately this may mean she needs to distance herself from much of what is "safe." |
Grace said: |
The only thing that could have made the episode better would have been if Giles had been wearing his sombrero when he whipped out the chainsaw. |
And finally, the Bark that made my empathy meter go off the scale...let's all take a moment...for Jua...{all Jua's caps preserved}
Jua the vampire slayer said: |
I DON"T KNOW IF I LIKED IT OR NOT BECAUSE MY STUPID FRIENDS KEEP CALLING ME DURING THE SHOW TO ASK ABOUT HOMEWORK!!!! Jeez don't they know it's BUFFY!!!??!!!!? And they keep calling back when I hang up. |
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