Buffy Discussion – “The Killer In Me”

This is undeniably the first Buffy of sweeps. The “Previously on…” segment contains clips from seasons 4, 6, and 7, and all were important. WARNING: My discussion contains spoilers.

There were a number of fantastic moments in this episode. Random thoughts follow.

  • No, that phrase will never work again.
  • Yes, Kennedy is good.
  • So what the devil did happen to Giles?
  • “Those were his exact words.”
  • The slowly building friendship between Andrew and Xander is very cool.
  • Evil people taking girls on camping trips and not touching them.
  • The fake flu.
  • Willow sure knows how to storm out of a room.

That’s probably enough for now.

13 replies on “Buffy Discussion – “The Killer In Me””

  1. Giles
    I thought after several episodes wondering about Giles, actually finding out was rather anticlimactic.

    • Re: Giles

      I thought after several episodes wondering about Giles, actually finding out was rather anticlimactic.

      A little, but also a good way to keep us on our toes. Short term viewers get to think “They’d never do that to a main character.” Long time viewers know Joss better. It could’ve happened. I’m happy it didn’t, but we didn’t know unti lwe knew, and that’s good.

      My personal vote for high point was “There are other kindergarten episodes, not involving yellow crayons, and they don’t show you in such a good light…” low point: The cavalry in green. If they show up again before the end of the season, I’ll take that back, but it seemed like a one shot appearance to me, and it didn’t do them justice. And didn’t the end of one episode involve a government commitee deciding to clean out the Initiative’s place? Have to find that one and take another look.

      • Re: Giles
        Keep us on our toes or throw us another curve ball? They couldn’t have done all that, and then the obviousness of giles not wanted to touch anything, not driving, the notebook, etc. He still didn’t explain what happened to him, things still don’t add up. I think joss may have us all fooled.

        • Re: Giles

          Keep us on our toes or throw us another curve ball? They couldn’t have done all that, and then the obviousness of giles not wanted to touch anything, not driving, the notebook, etc. He still didn’t explain what happened to him, things still don’t add up. I think joss may have us all fooled.

          I’m With You On That. Now, Admittedly, This Episode It Was Glaringly Obvious that Giles Wasn’t Touching Anything (They Went WAY Out Of Their Way With The Notebook Thing), But Overall, I Think It Might Have Been An Oops.

          Think About It. His First Episode Back, He Might Just Not have Had A Reason To Touch Anything, Coincidentally. Now, Everyone Picks Up On This, And Starts Posting It To Posting Boards, Etc. Joss, Who Reads These Posting Boards, Is Miffed. Everyone’s Noticing This Random Thing, And Missing Out On Some Other Slightly Less Obvious Clue To Something Else. Now, To Get His Viewers Back On Track For The Season, He Decides To Clear It Up, And Does It by Adding A Few Scenes To His First Sweeps Episode.

          Or, As I’m Suspecting, He’s Got something Else Up his Sleeve, And The First Actually Became Corporeal.

          And Why Didn’t The British Guy Who Saw The Bringer With The Axe Get himself Killed Too, If Giles had?

  2. Two words (and then some):
    Bored now.

    Apply that as you will to either this ep or the season as a whole. Wake me when something interesting happens.

  3. While we’re waiting

    So, we know Buffy can choose whether or not Spike will keep his chip. Here’s my question: what should she choose?

    Advantages to keeping it: it’s an extra layer of protection should the First try to make him feed again. It’s also a display that she doesn’t completely trust him, which could make for some interesting relationships on screen.

    Disadvantages to keeping it: he can’t help fight the human agents of the First. It also seems to be a temporary measure, and it could deteriorate and fail again in a few years, leaving him where he is now, but without the influence of the First. It’s also possible that it was somehow disabled by the First, and it offers to protection at all.

    Advantages to removing it: he can help fight human baddies and train human slayers. She would be showing that she trusts him, and he can become a full-fledged Scoobie. There’s no need to worry about him developing further problems from the chip in the future.

    Disadvantages of removing it: if the First takes hold of him again, nothing will stop him from feeding on others. (Such as, say, Faith for example. Did I mention I want to see Faith become a vampire? I just can’t decide if I want her to be sired by Spike or Angelus…)

    So what did I miss? What would you do?

    • Re: While we’re waiting

      So, we know Buffy can choose whether or not Spike will keep his chip. Here’s my question: what should she choose?
      SNIP

      So what did I miss? What would you do?

      Me, personally, I would leave it in. Angel(us) has lost his soul enough times that I think a chipped Spike is safer all the way around. And I do like the guy… it’s just not worth the trouble.
      As for Faith, I’ve got to admit I’m really waiting for her to come back, but as a vamp? Not so sure I’d like that. And since Faith is still alive, shouldn’t the Potentials be waiting around for HER to die, and not Buffy? That point particularly bugged me when Dawn was going on about being a potential Slayer, and that she couldn’t be a real Slayer until Buffy was dead.

      • Re: While we’re waiting
        I don’t think so. The chip stopped working, at least for buffy, a long time ago. He didn’t go all evil. Besides, it’s been determined that he can damage humans, if need be. Also he tried to turn evil again, without his soul, and it wasn’t the chip stopping him.

        Remember as well from long ago, one soul-sucking demon said spike and drucilla ‘reeked of soul’, and angelus was ‘clean’.

        I just don’t think Spike was ever as evil as Angelus, think about how he started out. He even self-imposed a soul..

      • Re: While we’re waiting

        And since Faith is still alive, shouldn’t the Potentials be waiting around for HER to die, and not Buffy? That point particularly bugged me when Dawn was going on about being a potential Slayer, and that she couldn’t be a real Slayer until Buffy was dead.

        I’ve wondered for quite a while if I’m the only one confused about this point. Buffy died+She “got better”->Kendra succeeds her = Two slayers (Buffy and Kendra). Kendra died+Buffy lived->Enter Faith = Two slayers (Buffy and Faith). Now, Buffy died again but nobody else seemed to be chosen…Does that mean that there can’t be three slayers? Does it mean that once again Buffy’s “mystical death” explains something away (Joyce and Tara’s death permanence while Buffy can be resurrected), i.e. no replacement? Does it mean that once Buffy was succeeded by Kendra, she can never be replaced again?

        Of course it also brings up the question about the reasoning behind leaving Faith in jail while there was no slayer between seasons five and six, though I think we know that it was mainly due to Eliza’s other projects, timing, contract problems, etc. which I’ve managed to let go.

        I admit that I don’t keep up with the fan sites and such, so maybe ole JW has explained it elsewhere? help? :)

        • Re: While we’re waiting

          I admit that I don’t keep up with the fan sites and such, so maybe ole JW has explained it elsewhere? help? :)

          This came up in one of the interviews linked from AICN. Each Slayer can only be succeeded once. Buffy’s first death was the only one that can activate a new Slayer. Faith’s death can activate another, so if she is quickly resucitated, there will be three.

          It’s too bad, really. I was hoping to see some twisted individual repeatedly killing and reviving a Slayer to create an army that’s ready-made to fight the darkness.

        • Re: While we’re waiting
          Whedon has said in print that Faith has to die for the next slayer to be activated, for what that’s worth. Dawn, of course, might be confused. Regarding Giles, I sort of hope something more is going on. Otherwise, it’s hack writing. I’ll accept the sudden cut from Giles’ beheading to keep us in suspense– that kind of cliff-hanger cut has a long tradition. But having Giles somehow not touch ANYONE (except, possibly, the Potentials) for a couple of months just so viewers can think he might be the First is cheap, creating suspense in a way that’s not inherent to the story, and it requires a greater suspension of disbelief than the presence of vampires.

  4. To die for…
    Kenedy and Willow = massive drooling. Kennedy is very attractive.

    Giles not the First = Surprise and thumbs up to JW for this twist.

    Spikes chip = Suspicion of First machination.

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