I sort of liked the new potential's skiniiness, in that it looked like genuine teen skinniness/gawkiness rather than Hollywood skinniness.

It does make her seem more vulnerable and fragile than the other proto-slayers. Must mean that she's going to be the most powerful.

I agree with you Jon, that in contrast to the last two, this one was much better.

All the lecturing Buffy did at the beginning was tiresome. And seemed to be done with an irony, even though Buffy at that age wouldn't have shut up for even half of her little lecture. She's become the boring watcher she used to mock.

And how "watcher's council" was it for her to lock the 4 slayers in training into a crypt with the vampire?

Bufy is not doing a very good job training them. Using them as bait, sure.

And, yes, horrible, horrible counsellor.

I sort of liked the new potential's skiniiness, in that it looked like genuine teen skinniness/gawkiness rather than Hollywood skinniness.

I agree Sophia. She's the skinny of someone who hasn't finished puberty yet.

As I was watching it, I was thinking of someone (I am not sure who) commenting on Buffy's essential selfishness. I actually think they were rebutting your Willow-hatred with examples of xander's self-righteousness and Buffy's self-centeredness. At the time, I was thinking that Buffy wasn't really like that anymore. But of course, she is!

Hey, all -- Elena invited me over since I was taunting in the main thread....

I really, really noticed the shout outs... Namechecking episodes Living Conditions and Gone.

I didn't notice the ep titles so much as a couple of visual shoutouts -- the shot of Dawn & Amanda breaking in through the window matched Darla and boy doing the same thing in WTTH, and D & A blocking the classroom door with the cabinet looked like W & T blocking the door in Hush. Obviously, not by the same means, or for the same ends as far as the story goes, but the composition of the shots was so similar as to make me immediately yell "shout-out!" Much to the dogs' amusement....

Also, not only is Clem back, but he has TiVO!

Overall, I was annoyed by much of the Dawn-goes-slaying plot, and I thought all the Buffy/Spike awkward-ex crap was strained as hell, but Xander was Xanderiffic at the end. And I really bought where Dawn was emotionally in that scene.

Finally the year of Xander?

Buffy gets to be selfish. She saves the world. A lot. She dies. A lot. She gets a pass from me for a lot of stuff.

Oh-- I forgot about Clem and the tiva-- I loved that. Also loved Anya saying she didn't really get the whole thing where Dawn was the same as Buffy in the gift.

I'm OK with Buffy being selfish. I'm ok with all of them having their faults. I am fairly certain that in real life, I would adore Buffy beyond reason.