The Pack Weirdness and Love
Yes, the one who bragged she has been able to rewatch episodes all the time is still stuck in S1 and is not looking forward to moving on to I Robot, You Jane.
As a Xander fan I obviously ADORE The Pack and outside PG I think it's the strongest episode of season one. I think Joss' way with a metaphor is (suprise) overrated, but in this case it's so DEAD on the money, I can't blame people for always saying he's so good at it. As much as I love Nick, (I don't think I ever found anyone besides SMG/JM/ASH to be exceptionally good actors), but his performance here is all assy arrogant confidence, the kind of behavior in a guy you hate to admit is attractive/hot, as well as hurtful and scary.
So first the weirdness, I love this episode and I even like Angel, but I find the opening conversation in the Bronze with Willow exceptionally odd, placed as it is after NKABOTFD. Willow asking Buffy if she's gone tingly for a guy recently, and her saying no is jarring when we literally just saw her going schmoopy/tingly for Owen. Yet Willow suggests it's Angel that has her going, it feels like telling rather than showing, to quickly ramp up the emotional stakes of Angel.
Secondly, I have to say this episode is full of examples for why I hate Willow and why I love her and feel for her just as often the first three seasons. Her getting Buffy to open up about Angel, and then not really listening at all because Xander shows up, always makes me want to slap her. It also reminds me why I never get that het up about Xander and his Buffy sandwich, because Willow is constantly portrayed as being entitled to a Xander sandwich. I have the same whatever bitch response to both their manipulative crush comments. The scene in the gym though is where Allie got me, I loved that she played that as pure anger/betrayl, I only wish Joss had allowed her to walk over to him and smack him for it. It is one of my infrequent GO WILLOW moments.
Lastly my love for this episode, and really the extended narrative theme of early S1 is all about the consistent parallels drawn between B/A and *predatory relationships/lovers*. There's Teacher's Pet, The Pack, IR,YJ, all of which are sandwiched around the episode Angel. How much less ambiguous could it be that B/A just ain't right? Like, in a deeply *wrong* way. I have such affection for B/A within that context, because hell yeah that's attractive, especially when your 16, but it is NOT Forever.
As a Xander fan I obviously ADORE The Pack and outside PG I think it's the strongest episode of season one. I think Joss' way with a metaphor is (suprise) overrated, but in this case it's so DEAD on the money, I can't blame people for always saying he's so good at it. As much as I love Nick, (I don't think I ever found anyone besides SMG/JM/ASH to be exceptionally good actors), but his performance here is all assy arrogant confidence, the kind of behavior in a guy you hate to admit is attractive/hot, as well as hurtful and scary.
So first the weirdness, I love this episode and I even like Angel, but I find the opening conversation in the Bronze with Willow exceptionally odd, placed as it is after NKABOTFD. Willow asking Buffy if she's gone tingly for a guy recently, and her saying no is jarring when we literally just saw her going schmoopy/tingly for Owen. Yet Willow suggests it's Angel that has her going, it feels like telling rather than showing, to quickly ramp up the emotional stakes of Angel.
Secondly, I have to say this episode is full of examples for why I hate Willow and why I love her and feel for her just as often the first three seasons. Her getting Buffy to open up about Angel, and then not really listening at all because Xander shows up, always makes me want to slap her. It also reminds me why I never get that het up about Xander and his Buffy sandwich, because Willow is constantly portrayed as being entitled to a Xander sandwich. I have the same whatever bitch response to both their manipulative crush comments. The scene in the gym though is where Allie got me, I loved that she played that as pure anger/betrayl, I only wish Joss had allowed her to walk over to him and smack him for it. It is one of my infrequent GO WILLOW moments.
Lastly my love for this episode, and really the extended narrative theme of early S1 is all about the consistent parallels drawn between B/A and *predatory relationships/lovers*. There's Teacher's Pet, The Pack, IR,YJ, all of which are sandwiched around the episode Angel. How much less ambiguous could it be that B/A just ain't right? Like, in a deeply *wrong* way. I have such affection for B/A within that context, because hell yeah that's attractive, especially when your 16, but it is NOT Forever.