[saturn5]

Lover's Walk

The Good;
Spike is back in town and emotional hell follows with him for the rest of the cast! I think it's at this point that Buffy really stops being about the demon of the week and starts being about the relationships.

The Bad;
Are you kidding?

Best line;
Spike; I may be love's bitch but at least I'm man enough to admit it

Wheldon Cliches;
Character death;
Bye bye to another magic shop owner. Spike's killing her is horrible in the extreme, the sheer brutality of it. The scene where Spike threatens to push a broken bottle in Willow's face is also horrible (pay attention Spike fans!). I remember watching this ep for the first time and thinking "NO! They can't kill Cordy!" but eventually they do. Presumably the funeral we see is of the Magic Shop owner?
Shot;
Tied up;

Knocked out; Cordy and Xander

Xander and Cordy
Women good/men bad; Joyce wants Buffy to go to parties with kegs and boys, as it happens neither will work out well for her.

Kinky dinky; Willow thinks bowling and rented shoes are sexy which is a whole level of kink beyond my ken, my barbie and all my action figures. Spike also seems to be quite enamoured of Willow (Spillow?) which will be referred to again in season 4. He also talks of 'having a woman' which implies that a vamp feeding is akin to a sexual act. Spike says he's going to torture Dru until she loves him again.?

Calling Captain Subtext; How much do we adore the scene between Spike and Joyce? Of course when we see Spike's relationship with his own mum, we understand why. Spike also refers to Angel as 'peaches' and a 'great poof' which must have had Spangel fans working overtime. Buffy comments that for some reason she can't fool Spike hinting at their relationship to come and possibly Spikes hidden sensitivity (realising in season 4 that Willow is falling apart, empathising with Dawn in season 5). Plus Dru senses that Spike is infatuated with the Slayer.

Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy and Angel beat up and threaten to kill Spike for info

Questions and observations;
Willow refers to Cletus the slack jawed yokel from the Simpsons. Weirdly Buffy has never even been referenced on that show as far as I know? Xander refers to Buffy and him working at the drive-in, both will but not at the same time. Surely the Mayor wouldn't have let Spike and co run rampant last year and destroyed the world? Xander recognises the ingredients for a love spell from his experience in BBB. Note Xander refers to wanting to be a fireman which will also feature in The Replacement. Weirdly Buffy says that Spike's not known for keeping his word but to judge by 'Lie to Me' and 'Becoming' he actually does? Note that even Angel with a soul still knows how to push Spike's buttons? Cordy's expression upon seeing Xander and Willow together is just heartrending.
Buffy scores remarkably well on the SATs once again showing us there's brains behind that blonde hair. Love Cordy's bizarre leap of logic that Xander has been kidnapped by Columbian drug barons?
Really you get the idea that they're toying with the idea of Spike as a regular character and this was a test for it. Of course he fit the bill and the rest is history

10/10 no question

[ashleyt]

I don't remember Buffy being referenced on The Simpsons but SMG has guest starred on it.

Angel still remembers the past so he should still know how to push Spike's buttons. He does in S5 of ATS too.

Wasn't Spike supposed to leave and not return after Becoming Part2? Maybe that's what she means.

[saturn5]

Good point about Spike. What role did SMG play on The Simpsons?

[ashleyt]

She played a girl Bart meets in Juvie.