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watcherscouncil2024-02-18 09:18 am
wearing_tearing) wrote in watcherscouncil2024-02-18 09:18 am
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BtVS - 1.06: The Pack
Original Air Date: April 7, 1997
Writer: Matt Kiene, Joe Reinkemeyer
Director: Bruce Seth Green
The episode starts with a surprise Eion Bailey in his first ever role! I do enjoy the contrast here once again of former-popular-girl Buffy dealing with people treating her as a loser with Grace and Humor, even when words hit close to home.
I do have a cultural question: were trips to the zoo common for USAmerican high schoolers? I remember only ever really going to museums, theaters, and to the woods so we could hike and get covered in mud when I was in high school. Going to the zoo would have been fun.
Aaahh, teenagers being teenagers and breaking the rules. I do also like Xander stepping up to handle the mean kids so he could help Lance. Even though it didn’t necessarily work out for him!
The Lion King lied to us about hyenas not being super mega scary. I think that’s why I enjoy this episode so much—the animal chosen to be the pack isn’t what you expect like the regular wolf/werewolf trope. It’s another way BtVS manages to turn things around and surprise us.
Who drew the big magic circle on the ground… This is why we always have to be careful where we step!
I know it’s been heavily implied that Willow has a huge crush on Xander, but I think this is the first time she and Buffy actually have a conversation about it. Them talking about boys—and Buffy still wearing Angel’s jacket—is a pretty cute moment.
Nicholas Brendon’s acting here is great! The subtle changes of expressions and weird behavior from Xander is so cool to watch. Do not appreciate the fatphobia, however.
Buffy trying with Giles in the SCHOOL LIBRARY is a totally normal thing to do, sure. Way to keep your Slayer secrets.
Herbert! :D
Ngl, I was one of the gremlins that loved playing dodgeball. This is a good way to show the pack dynamics and how they’re established! It’s pretty eerie to watch them all surround Lance during the game… and not going after Buffy. Could it be because they don’t see her as prey?
Herbert! :(
Buffy’s instincts being right on the money yet again about something supernatural being afoot! You’d think Giles would learn to trust her word when she comes to him to tell him all about it. She’s the Slayer! It’s her job to notice when something really weird is going on.
Principal Flutie, what an ending. I’d say he had a good run as the principal to welcome Buffy into the school. I’ll miss him.
Big Ick regarding Xander’s dialogue during his fight with Buffy. I do appreciate Buffy outright calling what he did sexual assault instead of just waving it away. That is excused by him being possessed by a hyena, though. In this scene we do have the book cage being used as a cell for this first time!
The exchange between Willow and Xander while Xander is locked up is so good. It shows a side of Willow we haven’t seen before with her getting Xander to show his hand and confirm to her he’s not himself.
Zookeeper: sure this might as well happen those were some weird animals
Really, though, this didn’t raise any flags to Giles and Buffy? Not at all?
The final fight is over quickly and I do appreciate the poetic justice of zookeeper becoming hyena food. Having Xander back and him trying to protect Willow was also nice!
I’m not sure how I feel about Xander pretending not to remember everything that happened/he did. Willow and Buffy are quick to let him off the hook, but I would have liked an apology from him to Buffy and Willow. I guess we can’t always get what we want etc.
Vampires Slayed: 0.
Series Total: 8.
Giles Taking Off/Putting On Glasses: 0.
Series Total: 7.
Episode Quote:
Xander: You start a new school. You get your desks, some blackboards, and some mean kids.
Writer: Matt Kiene, Joe Reinkemeyer
Director: Bruce Seth Green
When Buffy and the rest of Sunnydale High endure the annual field trip to the zoo, Xander and some other kids sneak into the quarantined hyena exhibit, but leave in an altered state. It's up to Buffy, Giles and Willow to discover the cause behind Xander's bizarre behavior and reverse the transformation before it's too late. Meanwhile, Xander's new aggressive demeanor doesn't play well with his old friends.I’m going to outright say this is one of those memorable episodes for me. I don’t know why it stuck in my head throughout the years, but it’s one I always find myself thinking about and remembering when it comes to BtVS Season 1 episodes. It might be because the show really found its footing in this second block of its first season? Either way, I always enjoy coming back to The Pack!
The episode starts with a surprise Eion Bailey in his first ever role! I do enjoy the contrast here once again of former-popular-girl Buffy dealing with people treating her as a loser with Grace and Humor, even when words hit close to home.
I do have a cultural question: were trips to the zoo common for USAmerican high schoolers? I remember only ever really going to museums, theaters, and to the woods so we could hike and get covered in mud when I was in high school. Going to the zoo would have been fun.
Aaahh, teenagers being teenagers and breaking the rules. I do also like Xander stepping up to handle the mean kids so he could help Lance. Even though it didn’t necessarily work out for him!
The Lion King lied to us about hyenas not being super mega scary. I think that’s why I enjoy this episode so much—the animal chosen to be the pack isn’t what you expect like the regular wolf/werewolf trope. It’s another way BtVS manages to turn things around and surprise us.
Who drew the big magic circle on the ground… This is why we always have to be careful where we step!
I know it’s been heavily implied that Willow has a huge crush on Xander, but I think this is the first time she and Buffy actually have a conversation about it. Them talking about boys—and Buffy still wearing Angel’s jacket—is a pretty cute moment.
Nicholas Brendon’s acting here is great! The subtle changes of expressions and weird behavior from Xander is so cool to watch. Do not appreciate the fatphobia, however.
Buffy trying with Giles in the SCHOOL LIBRARY is a totally normal thing to do, sure. Way to keep your Slayer secrets.
Herbert! :D
Ngl, I was one of the gremlins that loved playing dodgeball. This is a good way to show the pack dynamics and how they’re established! It’s pretty eerie to watch them all surround Lance during the game… and not going after Buffy. Could it be because they don’t see her as prey?
Herbert! :(
Buffy’s instincts being right on the money yet again about something supernatural being afoot! You’d think Giles would learn to trust her word when she comes to him to tell him all about it. She’s the Slayer! It’s her job to notice when something really weird is going on.
Principal Flutie, what an ending. I’d say he had a good run as the principal to welcome Buffy into the school. I’ll miss him.
Big Ick regarding Xander’s dialogue during his fight with Buffy. I do appreciate Buffy outright calling what he did sexual assault instead of just waving it away. That is excused by him being possessed by a hyena, though. In this scene we do have the book cage being used as a cell for this first time!
The exchange between Willow and Xander while Xander is locked up is so good. It shows a side of Willow we haven’t seen before with her getting Xander to show his hand and confirm to her he’s not himself.
Zookeeper: sure this might as well happen those were some weird animals
Really, though, this didn’t raise any flags to Giles and Buffy? Not at all?
The final fight is over quickly and I do appreciate the poetic justice of zookeeper becoming hyena food. Having Xander back and him trying to protect Willow was also nice!
I’m not sure how I feel about Xander pretending not to remember everything that happened/he did. Willow and Buffy are quick to let him off the hook, but I would have liked an apology from him to Buffy and Willow. I guess we can’t always get what we want etc.
Vampires Slayed: 0.
Series Total: 8.
Giles Taking Off/Putting On Glasses: 0.
Series Total: 7.
Episode Quote:
Xander: You start a new school. You get your desks, some blackboards, and some mean kids.
no subject
On the other hand, Willow -- I have to hand it to her for not getting sucked into Xander's act, and to giving him just enough to convince him she was going to fall for it. I've never really been too fond of Willow's arc, tbh, because I somehow missed these initial bad@$$ moments... Her quick reaction to Cordelia in another early episode, so easily convincing her to delete her work without showing any sign that she was lying but delivering everything so smoothly, is another scene that I missed the first time around, or at least don't recall, and definitely suggests there's much more going on with Willow than just being our dear, shy, little bookworm.
This episode brings us a lot of firsts, including Willow guarding Xander as she will later guard Oz. Honestly, in watching the moment, I found myself wondering if it all helped inspire the whole Oz/Willow romance. Unfortunately, for me at least, between the poor pig and Principal Flutie, it's also the first episode where I find myself thinking that yeah, at age 13, I really had no business watching a show like this... But I am certainly glad I didn't miss it and look forward to continuing to participate in this rewatch! :)
It's also my hubby's first time ever watching the show, and it's definitely nice getting to see his reactions, and compare my own initial responses to both his now and my own mindset upon rewatching. The show literally started the year after I went to Disney, so I definitely see how this more mature viewing was definitely pivotal in my growth....
no subject
I think you're right on the money! Season 1 Giles does a lot of things that seem strange and not-quite-like-Giles from the later seasons, in a way that isn't entirely connected to just plain ol' character development.
there's much more going on with Willow than just being our dear, shy, little bookworm.
Exactly! I also missed some Willow moments throughout that ended up informing her arc later on during my first watch. That's one of the reasons I like rewatching the show so much: it gives me a new perspective on the characters and the decisions the end up making.
I do think the show recycles some moments with different characters? There are too many parallels for me to think they were all written on purpose lol
Aaaww, I hope your hubby enjoys it! :D