Buffy The Vampire Slayer S:01 Ep:10

Posted on by Elwood Jones

Episode title: Nightmares

Original air date: May 12, 1997

“I’m not worried. If there’s something bad out there, we’ll find, you’ll slay, we’ll party.” – Xander

Possibly one of the more overlooked episodes of the first season, for one reason or another “Nightmares” just never seems to get discussed in the same way that other episodes in the season do and there’s really no clear reason why. The plot itself is just as random as some of the other episodes of this season as Buffy and the students of Sunnydale High find their nightmares coming to life as the real world and the nightmare world suddenly start merging into one all which might have something to do a mysterious young boy named Billy.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer S:01 Ep:09

Posted on by Elwood Jones

Episode title: The Puppet Show

Original air date: May 5, 1997

“There are things I will not tolerate. Students loitering on campus after school. Horrible murders with hearts being removed. And also smoking.” – Principle Snyder

Ok this week we get to visit another episode which tends to be way down on the favourites list for most Buffy fans while also the lowest rated episode of the season, but at the same time one I still really enjoyed (not sure what this says about me) as this week someone is stealing the organs of students taking part in the school talent show and Buffy suspects that it might be a ventriloquist’s dummy called Sid.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer S:01 Ep:08

Posted on by Elwood Jones

Episode title: I Robot, You Jane

Original air date: April 28, 1997

“Hey! I got to hit someone!” – Xander

Let me start this week’s revisit by highlighting the fact that this is one of my all-time favourite episodes, an opinion it would seem not shared by the rest of the Buffy critic-universe. The first Willow-centric episode of the series in this episode she finds herself in an online relationship with a boy known only as Malcolm who she has been e-mailing with, unware that he is actually the demon Moloch the Corruptor whose soul has been released into the digital realm after the book holding him captive was scanned unwittingly by Willow.

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Buffy: The Vampire Slayer S:01 Ep:07

Posted on by Elwood Jones

“So many body parts, so few bullets. Let’s begin with the kneecaps. No fun dancing without them.” – Darla

So this week it’s an episode I wasn’t looking forward to having to revisit as part of this ongoing series of episode reviews. For this is the episode which made the girls swoon and the guys wondering what else was on…yes it’s time for the first Angel-centric episode of the series as we finally find out the truth about Angel, who until point in the series has just been playing the role of the mysterious stranger, helping out Buffy with advice and generally being aloof as to his real interest in her slaying activities.

Ok just in case you’ve not seen the episode already, let’s just start by warning that spoilers lie ahead.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer S:01 Ep:06

Posted on by Elwood Jones

Episode title: The Pack

Original air date: April 7, 1997

“I cannot believe that you, of all people, are trying to Scully me. There is something supernatural at work here. Get your books! Look stuff up!” – Buffy

This week it’s another vampire free episode and that’s completely, there’s not even a background vampire in sight. Instead Buffy has to deal with a case of animal possession, when Xander and several of his fellow students are possessed by a hyena spirit.

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Batman Beyond S:02 Ep:08

Posted on by Elwood Jones

Episode title: Hooked Up

Original air date: November 13, 1999

It’s time for another Batman Beyond episode with an added morality lesson as this week the show takes on the issue of addiction as the local teens are getting hooked on a new VR video game, which seemingly has the ability for the players to live out their fantasies only to soon find themselves addicted, a plot its soon revealed to be masterminded by super villain Spellbinder who here makes a much welcomed return.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer S:01 Ep:05

Posted on by Elwood Jones

Episode title: Never Kill A Boy On The First Date

Original air date: March 31, 1997

“All right, I’ll just drop in my time machine, go back to the twelfth century, and ask the vampire to postpone their ancient prophecy for a few days while you take in dinner and a show.”

If there could be a moment when the show writers finally cracked the secret to writing the show it would be with this episode as here the show certainly seems to find its groove as the blend between humour and horror is found. Plot wise it’s equally important as Buffy continues to try and balance her slaying duties and having a normal high school life in particular landing a date with Owen. The Master meanwhile searches for a powerful vampire known as “The Anointed One”. Continue reading Buffy The Vampire Slayer S:01 Ep:05

Batman Beyond S:2 Ep:07

Posted on by Elwood Jones

Episode title: Once Burned

Original air date: November 6, 1999

Until this point in the series it has been very much following a bad guy of the week format with the exception of the Jokerz who have had something of a promotion to main villain status, something they only continue to add to this week, while we get the first appearance this season of one of the mainstay villains “The Royal Flush Gang”. This of course is bad news for Terry in more than one way especially when he’s in similar situation with gang member Ten / Melanie as Bruce was with Selina Kyle / Catwoman. Continue reading Batman Beyond S:2 Ep:07

Saturday Morning Memories: Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors

Posted on by Elwood Jones

Growing up in the 80’s cartoons were very much a big part of my childhood and with local TV being limited to four channels, I used to look forward to the weekend morning cartoons, even if it did involve getting up way earlier than everyone else in the house just so I could catch up with all my favourite characters.  Even as I got older I still remember running around my paper round just so I could get back in time to watch “Gargoyles” with these cartoons seemingly holding so much importance back then. A feeling perfectly captured in the “Z-Trip” track “Breakfast Club”.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer S:01 Ep:04

Posted on by Elwood Jones

Episode title: Teacher’s Pet

Original air date: January 24, 1998

“No, you’ll just give me a cryptic warning about some exciting new catastrophe, and then disappear into the night. Right?” – Buffy

Am I wrong in thinking that this show has always been at its strongest when it ironically doesn’t feature vampires? I know a controversial opinion especially when vampires are currently riding high in the fantasy charts alongside cowboy’s, firemen and medieval stable boy (you know depending on what works for you) meaning that they are always treated with way more fanfare than I felt they deserved. Still you only have to look at some of the best episodes of the series to realise that a large quantity only featured vampires as a background threat if at all. I guess the fact that the show never limited itself to just vampires is where it strength lied and again we get another week free of the fanged menace as well as one of the first stories to put one of the group other than Buffy as the lead as here we get a Xander-centric story.

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