Haven't been around here for awhile. My Buffy fever's died down a bit since. Quite a lot has happened since too.

I sort of have a new 'project' in the works though I keep stumbling on my feet trying to keep the upper hand in this 'game'. Don't know exactly how long I can keep it up or if I should even keep it up. I know I'm playing with fire...but that's what makes fire so attractive. Well, so far the ball's still in play but I doubt I really have the upper hand in this game. Lets just see how things go...

On another note, I treated myself to Hong Kong as a birthday present. Yup, just got back yesterday after a really short 4-day trip. Hong Kong was really really really hot - the blistering-sauna-two-showers-a-day-not-enough-kind-of hot hot hot. Spent lots. Not on clothes. But on CDs and swept most of the toy shops in Mongkok! Haha. Bought quite a few Astroboy figurines and found Ah C's inaugural album! Yes! I now have a copy of First! Didn't see any Hong Kong stars though...oh wait, yes I did. He was on the table next to me at dinner. Don't remember his name though - the guy who was in those 'cousin' police movies with Dodo Cheng during the late 80s/early 90s. He doesn't act anymore, I think - doesn't need to...he married Albert Yeung's daughter. Anyway, I didn't marry Albert Yeung's daughter, so I'm pretty broke now after that whirlwind shopping spree.

I wish I wasn't back at work today but we have to earn the money so we can spend more of it. Hahahaha.

Oh well.

More Buffy...

7.07 Conversations With Dead People
OK, this was, to me, the scariest scariest scariest episode - especially the bits with Joyce (actually it was the bits with Joyce that scared the shit out of me!)

Well, The First not only nearly manage to hoodwink the characters, it nearly hoodwinked me too. It would have been nice to see Tara appear rather than having someone else pass the message but I suppose it's because of 'real world' events that Amber Benson couldn't make an appearance. Question: was the vampire part of The First or just another vampire? It couldn't have been The First 'cos Buffy was kicking and punching the hell out of it, which means it definitely wasn't non-corporeal. Maybe The First was controlling it. Maybe if we knew its POV, we may see those manifestations appearing before it like they appeared before Spike...

Other than that, we saw the return of two-thirds of the trio (well, the ones still alive, that is). And I love the song that starts off this episode (Blue by Angie Hart) - great song, well used to set the mood.

Favourite line of the episode:
Jonathan: "Desde abajo te debora."
Andrew: "It eats you starting with your bottom."

7.08 Sleeper
Not much to say about this episode, other than it was a nice thrill to see the 'old' wicked vampire Spike in action again (even though he was under some mumbo jumbo hypnopsis).

Favourite line of the episode:
Xander to Buffy: "OK, let's look at this objectively. Figure it out in a cold, impersonal, CSI-like manner 'cause we're a couple of carpet fibers away from a case."

7.09 Never Leave Me
Anya and Xander's good cop-bad cop routine on Andrew was quite a laugh, I thought.

And the mysterious Principle Wood gets even more mysterious. Plus the shocker of the whole council building getting blown up. No more council. Cool.

A little confusion during this episode too. I thought that thing climbing out of the seal was The First. Later of course, I learn it's a Turok-han, an ubervamp, some super super vampire that even vampires are afraid of. Not The First, just another of its minions.

Favourite line of the episode:
Willow to Andrew: "I'm talking. Don't interrupt me, insignificant man. I am Willow. I am death. If you dare defy me, I will call down my fury, exact fresh vengeance, and make your worst fears come true. OK?"

7.10 Bring On The Night
We finally meet Kennedy and the other potential slayers (but they're not important. Only Kennedy is. To the Willow story, that is. Hehe.)

And we learn more about The First (thanks to Giles). The First, called so because it predates all evil, it is the source of evil, thus The First. Yea, pretty lame. Love how Andrew pointed that out too.

Anyway, on to The First and its manifestations...so, he's done the dead bad people and the dead good people, as well as Spike and Buffy. So basically, The First can be anybody it likes and we find out that he can only take the form of dead people. That being the case, Spike and Buffy, not exactly dead are they? Unless of course (there's always the, unless), the explanation that Spike is the walking dead anyway and well, we all know Buffy has died twice. So technically, they are dead, I guess. And that's why The First is able to take their forms? Must be lor...

Favourite line of the episode:
Andrew: "The first what?"
Anya: "The name of the evil thing that pretended to be Warren to get you to kill Jonathan."
Andrew: "Oh, not very ominous sounding."
Dawn: "No, i-it is if you understand the context."
Andrew: "No, an evil name should be like Lex or Voldemort or-"

More tomorrow...or whenever.

Nope.

Haven't gotten Buffy out of my mind yet. It's like taking a shot of morphine only to find that the dose wasn't enough and there's none left.

To those who have watched season 7, maybe we can start some sort of exchange here. Maybe I should put up a tagboard just for that. Or not. It's going to muck-up my layout here major if I do that. Scrap tagboard idea. Use the comments link below or the guestbook instead. To those who haven't watched season 7 and are planning to and hate spoilers, I suggest you don't read on.

And thus begins my rants, questions, observations and what-nots...

Season 7

7.01 Lessons
Dawn, Kit and Carlos - the outcasts. Reminiscences of Buffy, Willow and Xander? Could that be the beginnings of a new scooby gang?

Who put the talisman in the bathroom? Who summoned the undead? At first I thought it was all a figment of Buffy's imagination, that she feeling guilty about all the lives she couldn't save and these ghosts were just manifestations of her guilt. But then she wasn't the only one who saw them. On hindsight, it could be The First who influenced someone to put the talisman there to invoke the spirits. But why? Why did The First need to work through someone when he could manifest himself as any dead person? Okay, maybe he wanted to do real physical harm and being a non-corporeal being and all, he couldn't and thus had to rely on 'other' means.

And then there's Spike. Those manifestations before him. Were they in his mind, or was it The First at work? They were all the evil personas from previous seasons but then all of a sudden there was Buffy in with the rest of them.

Favourite line of the episode:
Willow to Giles - "When you brought me here, I thought it was to kill me or to lock me in some mystical dungeon for all eternity or - with the torture. Instead, you go all Dumbledore on me."

7.02 Beneath You
The worm. A bit b-grade I thought, the effects and all but I supposed it's all in the campy feel. So I can live with that, I guess. And was it all apart of the 'From beneath you, it devours' thingy, or was this just a side track? Didn't seem to have any connection to The First although I believe the writers wanted us viewers to think it does...no, yes?

And we learn that Spike wanted his soul back? Okay, so I was wrong. At the end of season 6 when Spike asked the creature to return him to the man he was, I thought he wanted the creature to make him a proper vampire again, to remove the chip so that he could exact his revenge on Buffy. But it seems not. It was his soul that he wanted. Riightt.

Favourite line of the episode:
Nancy to gang: "Is there anyone here that hasn't slept together?"

7.03 Same Time, Same Place
Gnarl - Golem-like but much more scary. Scary fingers, eating of flesh, not appearing, then suddenly appearing sort of scary. Yup, definitely scary.

At first I thought it was all a time warp thing that Willow couldn't see Buffy and Xander and vice versa, that Willow somehow ended up in a different dimension which the others didn't exist. But others could see her and they could interact with the rest. So it didn't make sense. Then it turns out to be a spell of Willow's own doing without her even realising, which I reckon is kinda lame but oh well, just use magic to explain the inexplicable. Anyway, all that to illustrate Willow's acceptance of herself back into the group again.

Oh, those moments between Willow and Anya (when performing the spell) and between Willow and Buffy (on the bed when Willow was meditating) - just me or did anyone else find those scenes bursting with sexual tension? Hehe. Ok, I'm just warped.

Favourite line of the episode:
Anya to Buffy and Xander: "Oh, wouldn't it be tragic if you were here being kinda silly with your comically paralyzed sister while Willow was dying?"

7.04 Help
Joss has elevated Google to some big all-knowing oracle. Need answers, need information, just google for it! Either the writers really love Google that much or they were paid a hell lot to mention it. All the time.

Besides that, this was like some prophetic episode. Cassie tells Buffy that she'll make a difference - a sign that she'll win in her fight against whatever's coming, perhaps? But of course, that's all post-rationalisation now that I've already watched the ending and yes, they do win and all that.

Favourite line of the episode:
Buffy: "Spike, what are you doing?"
Spike: "Nothing. If I don't move, if I don't think, if I don't listen to the voices, then I won't hurt...much."

7.05 Selfless
Ah. Anya and bunnies! Maybe finally we'll have some sort of explanation as to why she's so terrified of them. Unfortunately, ziltch. Unless we're supposed to connect her wanting to use them as barter items to scary...no clue, still no clue.

Again, post-rationalisation here - when Anya asks D'Hoffryn why he didn't just kill her, he tells her to be patient. "From beneath you it devours. All good things in time." Maybe a prophecy of her death at the end?

Favourite line of the episode:
D'Hoffryn: "Oh, breathtaking. It's like somebody slaughtered an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog."

7.06 Him
I found this the funniest, most silly and comical episode of the season. And yup, I enjoyed it. Even though this was a side track from the story arc and was rather nonsensical to a certain extent. But lots of funny, funny lines here.

Didn't understand why D'Hoffryn changed his mind about killing Anya though. If he had wanted her dead, why did he say what he said and then let her go, only to later send demons after her? Didn't make sense.

Anyway, lots of favourite lines in this episode:
Anya to Buffy: "Well, I-I guess you guys could use my help. Willow's not very good with the practical strategizing - except when she's evil. And Dawn - she's not really good for anything."

Willow: "Damn love spell. I have tried every anti-love spell spell I could find."
Anya: "Even if you find the right one, the guy would probably just do an anti-anti-love spell spell... spell."

Buffy: "Willow, you're a gay woman - and he isn't."
Willow: "This isn't about his physical presence. It's about his heart."
Anya: "His physical presence has a penis!"
Willow: "I can work around it!"

Willow: "Yeah, well I have skills. I can prove my love with magic."
Anya: "Yeah, right. What're you gonna do - use magic to make him into a girl? (Willow's eyes widen) Damn."

Xander: "What the hell are you doing?"
Willow: "Proving I love R.J. the most!"
Xander: "Will, honey... R.J.'s a guy."
Willow: "I did notice that, yeah. 'S why I'm doing my spell, 'cause, you know, he doesn't have to be."

To be continued...at some point in time, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or the day after after tomorrow...still another like 17 episodes to go...ah, this is a good way of stretching the Buffy experience...