How are all you non-Atlantic Canadians seeing the episode early? Just curious. =)

I also don't get why Buffy could beat him this time.

Exhibitionist tendencies, likes an audience?

Downloaded and burned to VCD.

Downloading it via one of the file-sharing networks or Newsgroups.

Oooo... that's pretty cool. I didn't even know you could do that.

bittorrent and watched it on my PC this morning

I'd have liked to see Buffy have an idea -- maybe the holy water (which I *didn't* want to work, in a predating Christianity sort of way) or something she hadn't tried before. But it just seemed like a longer fight.

Shouldn't the bottom-eater been harder to kill?

The bottom-eater is still alive.

I realized that after I posted, then I was too lazy to go back and fix it.

I think the telepathy was an asspull in tems of the show, not just the ep. There's been no evidence that they have used telepathy since Willow was doing her thing while Buffy was still dead. And that was only Willow communicating with other people. (I went back and checked)

Also, since Willow's been afraid to do magic again since the FE took her over the last time, why would she casually open a channel to talk with Buffy and Xander. Why didn't they just step out of the room and whisper? Do the SiT have super hearing?

Evil!Willow to Dawn at the end of last season. Something to the effect of "Just think real loud, I can hear you."

I understand the objections, but it did work for me.

Just watched the episode. Wow, looks like I'm out of sync with 99% of humanity. I liked it a lot; not among the absolute best ones of the season, but right up there, and certainly much better than last one.

For some reason, I did like the slayerettes this time. They looked like actual characters with believable reactions, not furniture that speaks from time to time (like in last week). Same with the way the other characters were handled: Willow and her fear of magic and her (speculation only) future romance with Kennedy, Andrew (did you see when Buffy caught him sleeping in the sofa and he quickly cleaned it?), Anya... Her conversation with the demon? Not "9-10: hysterical", but certainly "7-8: highly amusing".

The only thing that bothered me, as with everyone else, was the final fight. So the key to beat an invincible enemy is just to try real hard, and do it at a time when it might set an example? I thought that Buffy would eventually call the slayerettes for help, and that they would be able to beat the ubervamp together, as a practical lesson of the benefits of cooperation, mutual trust, etc. Oh well.

Sue, I just looked through the DVD's and here's the special features.

Disk 3
Season 3 Overview (interviews with writers and cast)
Buffy Speak

Disk 4
Helpless - commentary by David Fury
Bad Girls - commentary by Doug Petrie, interview with Joss
Consequences - commentary by director Michael Gershman, interview with Joss

Disk 5
Enemies - interview with Joss
Earshot - commentary by Jane Espenson, interview with Joss

Disk 6
Graduation Day 1 & 2 - interviews with Joss
Special Features: Interview with Monster Maker John Vulich
Wardrobe, Weapons, Special Effects

I'm disappointed that Lover's Walk and Dopplegangland don't have any commentary but they do talk about Lover's Walk in the Season 3 overview feature on disk 3.

I wish they'd do some cast commentary. I'd love to hear NB talk about The Zeppo (or The Pack).

Brian watched the ep this afternoon. He thought it was too much a continuation of last episode and 'last episode sucked'.

And during the telepathic talk? He said 'Who is that?', because it doesn't sound like Buffy at all.