Does the pod!Giles stuff seem less pod-y?

Somewhat, yes. There's still not enough of him, and the saving-himself-from-the-swinging-axe still seems highly improbable and asspully, but he's definitely Giles (it helps a lot to know from the get-go that he's really Giles and not the First, so you can just watch his performance instead of obsessing about whether or not he's touching anyone (that bit of Stupid Plot Tricks still bugs, unfortunately)).

He's gloomier and less supportive of Buffy than in the past, which is slightly out of character, but on a non-chopped-up rewatch of the whole season it's much clearer that this was a conscious decision on the part of the writers, not laziness or ineptitude; it's there to serve Buffy's arc, to push her One Slayer All Alone/This Is Too Big For One Slayer dilemma. Which was for me a much clearer arc on continuous rewatch, and which made her inspired decision to use the Scythe to share her power with every possible Slayer everywhere feel much more powerful, more of a breakthrough, more emotionally resonant not just on a big meta Jossian metaphorical level but as a brilliant, sweet resolution to the misery and isolation of this one particular girl whose story is being told.

This is all with the caveat that it may just be me; it's entirely possible that most people will rewatch it all and still think S7 sucks desiccated donkey balls, and that my viewing experience was heavily influenced by pregnancy hormones and carrying-a-daughter mental wanderings (though, admittedly, Hec seemed to like S7 better too, and he was under rather less of a hormonal onslaught).

I think it's possible Buffy might have gotten herself killed, trying not to kill Angelus--just biding time, waiting for the spell to kick in.

which is why I have forgiven him. She wouldn't have fought nearly as hard as she did if she thought that it might happen. Plus, even if she had known, Angelus still would have opened Acathala's mouth.

I think it's possible Buffy might have gotten herself killed, trying not to kill Angelus--just biding time, waiting for the spell to kick in.

which is why I have forgiven him. She wouldn't have fought nearly as hard as she did if she thought that it might happen. Plus, even if she had known, Angelus still would have opened Acathala's mouth.

standing in Vortex & Cindy's corner. We're very pretty.

I'm not joining in on the W&P because 1) I don't have S3-7 and don't want to have to pull out after S2 and 2) I don't have time, but I'm loving the discussion it's all sparking.

standing in Vortex & Cindy's corner. We're very pretty.

yes, we are.

Right, and she'd have gone in, expecting she could stall rather than psyching herself up for a slaying. Xander was wrong to keep the knowledge from her. That's an abuse of power (friendship = trust = power) that's beneath him.

On the other hand, he was a 16/17 year old boy, who knew what Angelus was capable of. He'd stared him down in Killed by Death (another scene I ADORE) when Buffy was in the hospital. He would have been killed by Angelus in BB&B, if Dru hadn't fallen victim to the love spell and saved him. Miss Calendar was not only dead at Angelus's hand, but her body was left on Giles' bed, just to add to his agony. Willow, who Angelus had stalked (remember the dead fishies) was in critical condition. Xander knew Angelus had stalked Joyce (and harrassed Buffy with it), and probably knew that Angelus told Joyce that he and Buffy had sex. And on the petty side of things, 2 kicked off with Buffy using Xander shamelessly, in her sexy sexy sexy dance to Cibo Matto's "Sugar Water," in WSWB, to make Angel jealous. His lie was way wrong, completely understandable, and might have saved the world.

I did a poll in LJ, on Xander's BIG LIE. Feel free to fill it out: [link]

I never thought Xander's motives were all that complicated. It was a split-second decision, or he wouldn't have even mentioned that there was a message.

I assumed Buffy & Willow would find out about the whole thing early in S3, and, like, be grumpy about it for 2 episodes and then get over it. I was always surprised that it was such a huge deal in the fandom.

I never thought Xander's motives were all that complicated. It was a split-second decision, or he wouldn't have even mentioned that there was a message.

Strega, you don't think his motives were complication but what do you think was going on with him--fear, jealousy, a need for vengeance, a firm belief all vampires need to die?

He changed his mind at the last minute, but re-ensouling Angel was something he'd had on his mind (and been against) for a while. He'd already had the argument with Buffy, when Buffy and Willow told the gang they found Jenny's transliteration of the enjoining spell. He was at the library prior to the first attempt (when Dru & the gang raided and killed Kendra). He also had had time between learning Willow was going to try the spell again (at the hospital), and meeting Buffy on the way to the mansion, to argue with himself over what to do.

I thought Xander's motives were incredibly complicated, but I also think he didn't think about it very hard -- that "kick his ass" came, for me, out of all the emotions Cindy named, all of a sudden.

That said, it didn't surprise me that it didn't come out, and we see as the show progresses that Xander can keep a secret (memfault on episode where he defeats undead high schoolers in the boiler room, for one). I was just pleased as punch that the lie came out in S7, knowing that the show was ending.

The Zeppo!