Oz definitely thought Veruca was hot -- he was staring at her way before he knew she got wolfy. Would he have had sex with her if it wasn't for the wolf factor? I honestly can't say. I think Veruca would have been more than willing, and I think, wonderful as Oz is, the pull of a sexy rock chick who wanted him might have tempted him away from Willow. The wolfiness is really just a metaphor (one of the more obvious ones on the show) for the siren call of the new! exciting! person.

I think Oz and Willow both cheated. I don't think either one gets a moral pass. They are slightly different kinds of cheating -- Willow carried on her relationship longer, Oz was more intense about it. Personally, I'd be more okay with it if my husband bonked some hot chick he met at a bar once or twice, than if he was having smoochies with his best friend for months. But that's my personal sex/love issue. But I do think Willow should have given Oz a pass on the cheating, if he'd asked for it.

What I love most about "Passion" is that every time (every time!) I watch it, I always find myself shouting, "Run, Jenny!" I'm always hoping she'll get away from him and she never ever does.

You know, I do this to (I think it, not shout it). I felt a little the same way in this season's Angel, when Lilah was doing everything right, and pulling every trick she could think of, and fighting tooth and nail -- and was betrayed to her death anyway, and just when she might otherwise have been safe.

Also, large with the love of the librarian wielding a flaming baseball bat.

Oddly enough, I never liked the Passion voiceover. I don't think he's got the vocal chops to pull off what I want to hear. Then again, I also hated the voiceover in Blade Runner, so clearly I am a voiceover-hater.

The thing about the wolfiness v. sexyrockchick is that for this show, it isn't just about the metaphor. Oz really is a werewolf, not just a horny guy, thrown for a loop by how turned on he is by this random singer-chick. He's a werewolf, she's a werewolf and on some wolfy level they are interacting before he even knows what she is (although Veruca implies that she knew about him right away).

The element of how much the wolf that is in him was reaching out during his non-wolf time is interesting to me. If the show was just a non-supernatural soap opera, I wouldn't be interested. Horny guy+hotnewchick = betrayal + bailage. Blahblah. Oldest story evah. This show can play those themes, but something else is also going on. How much does the wolfy element, a power that is out of his control and that he didn't choose, have to say about his actions and culpability in WAH? (Not to mention the "oh crap, we have to write out Seth, like right now!" element, but setting that aside.)

Cereal to add: I like the voiceover in Passion and in Blade Runner. I love Blade Runner, but the thing that weirds me about the director's cut is the missing voiceover. I always want it back.

Oz definitely thought Veruca was hot -- he was staring at her way before he knew she got wolfy.

(although Veruca implies that she knew about him right away).

I just rewatched the episode where Oz and Veruca see each other for the first time last night. I think it is implied that Oz sensed something from Veruca and vice versa, the first time they see each other. It was as if instinct told them they were somehow the same. Oz seemed to fight this instinct from that moment on.

But I think that Oz didn't know what it was he recognized - - never having met another werewolf before whereas obviously, Veruca did.

never having met another werewolf before

His cousin, Jordy.

Though a young werewolf (werepup?) is probably different from a full-grown one.

And I admit, I like the metaphor. It worked for me, possibly because it distracted me from those godawful fur suits.

Amidst all my miseries last night (again, thanks for all condolences), I actually watched the WAH commentary and it was everything I had hoped it would be and more. Seth Green seemed pretty damn convinced that Oz was "the bad guy" but that the viewer was still to be torn of who to be mad at. I think this is exactly how I felt. Yes, Willow did it too, but it was much less extreme. It just reminds me of the cold hard pain that is love in the Buffyverse.

Also, this may have been mentioned and I missed it upthread or elsewhere, but during that commentary when Veruca and Oz are looking for clothes/chatting about their deed in the laundry room, when Veruca is leaving she says something snobby by way of goodbye...which I can't remember since I didn't hear the actual audio of the show. When the commentary was done they were still in S6 (this will make sense in a minute). Seth, Marti, and Joss are discussing how evil people always say something weird when they are leaving like "ta ta" or something. Seth brings up TTFN, and Joss goes "What the hell is TTFN?" which as I am sure you all remember as well as I do, was The First!Chloe taunting Buffy and the other Potentials.

Restless commentary was pretty good too, although it kind of left some stuff out I thought would get discussed. I do understand Giles' dream part in the crypt much better now though because of it. So, call it a plus.

yeah. it wasn't so much that Oz was attracted to Veruca, it was that his wolf was attracted to her wolf.

sure to be an Xpost, but

His cousin, Jordy.

but he wasn't a werewolf when he saw Jordy, cause Jordy's the one who bit him.

edit: surprisingly, not.