Becoming Parts 1 and 2

Mark here... well we made it!  The season finale of Buffy Season 2!  This was a really good episode!  It starts out kind of slow but sort of sums up the best of this season.  The season as a whole was a bit off and on for us watching again.  On the one hand there's some great stuff with exploring the history of the slayer and the introduction of Spike.  On the other hand, there's still Jenny Calendar and the awkward romance between Buffy and Angel.  It just felt off in retrospect.  I know this was the season Buffy became a thing based on that romance, but it still lacked chemistry for me and the age difference was unavoidable.  So you're 200 years old and your attracted to a 16 year old girl.  I get the appeal if you are 16, but now...yeeesh.

Anyway, Angel, Drusilla and Spike are plotting to unleash this awful hell demon and the gang must stop them.  But lo and behold, Spike is sick of evil Angel and doesn't want the end of the world.  So he strikes a bargain with Buffy.  In the meantime though, Drusilla attacks the Scoobies while Angel distracts Buffy. She captures Giles, wounds Willow and Xander, and kills a visiting Kendra the Vampire Slayer.  Kendra pretty much shows up to get knocked off, being an awful character and making way for a better one...next season!  Willow ends up hospitalized but pulls herself together to attempt re-ensouling Angel with a spell they found from Jenny Calendar.  Witch Willow is very much apparent and we get to see her finally taking charge and moving from the mousy friend to the tough character she will become.  Now if only she would dress better!  Seriously, coming out for Willow isn't just about admitting she's gay, it's about not dressing like someone who hates herself!

Buffy confronts Angel at his ritual and Spike betrays him and carts Drusilla off.  After a big fight, Buffy is forced to kill Angel to reverse the spell he started...but Willow has succeeded in re-ensouling him! It's a touching scene even as she's forced to stab him with a sword.

In the end Buffy is forced to leave town.  The police think she's killed Kendra because she's found with the body.  Also, Joyce throws her out after Buffy confesses to being the Slayer and tells her she has to leave.  Another great scene!  Buffy basically tells Joyce she's been in denial about everything that's been going on.

One final point...we get a hint of something bigger as Principal Synder calls the Mayor *who we've not seen) to express joy at Buffy leaving town and being expelled from school...

Hey Laurel here...I second Mark's emotion about Willow, it's nice to see her step up to the plate, now please stop dressing like you hate yourself!

The other thing I thought was interesting about this episode is that Joyce finally gets a clue, sort of.  She realizes she's been missing a huge issue that has been going on in her daughter's life for the last few years but she reacts so poorly when she discovers it.  She finally starts to understand that something profound is going on when Spike shows up at the house with Buffy, and Buffy evaporates a vampire right in front of her, but her reaction is like "young lady, you are grounded!"  and Buffy is like "I don't have time to be grounded I have to save the world!  Don't you get it by now you clueless woman!"  I am paraphrasing of course, but you get the jist.  Hopefully Joyce will get it together in the next season.

The episode ends with Buffy running away.  Where will she go?  What or who brings her back?  What will Angel be like now that he has a soul again?  Will Willow ever start dressing better?  Only time will tell...

We give this double episode a rare 5 stakes!  Good one Joss.

And Baby Makes Five

Hey Nine-0 fans!  Laurel here.  We just watched kind of a 3 stooges episode.  See, Kelly found out that Jackie was pregnant.  Meanwhile, Mel is planning on proposing to Jackie.  Donna finds out from David that Mel is planning to propose.  Donna finds out from Kelly that Jackie is pregnant.  then because Donna is involved, slapstick hilarity ensues.

Donna tells David that Jackie is pregnant before Mel knows that Jackie is pregnant.  Donna tells Kelly that Mel is planning to propose after Jackie finds out she is pregnant but before she tells Mel...I know this is confusing, but basically because of Donna's big mouth Jackie thinks that Mel is proposing only because she is pregnant.  Meanwhile Mel has no idea.

It's a total who's on first situation but basically Mel and Jackie love each other but can't seem to talk like grown ups so the kid ruin/save the day.  In the end Jackie and Mel are going to get married and have a baby together.  Yay!

Mark here... Laurel did a great job of describing the episode. It was actually fairly entertaining.  The last few episodes have been entertaining and we're hoping it represents a change of direction for the series! Seriously, finally we're in a territory we remember for the show.

There's a side plot with Andrea picking winning horses at the track with Nat, Brandon and Steve, but really who the fuck cares? And it's not written in any way to make us care anyway...

But the style award goes to Andrea in her Downton Abbey (don't worry we'll get there!) ensemble at
the race track.

I would say the cocktail moment is any reference to Jackie's bun in the oven.

State

Mark here...Laurel and I have just watched the season one finale of Friday Night Lights, called "State."  Laurel made us some Texas-appropriate Armadillo eggs, king ranch casserole and steamed artichokes, all of which were delicious!

This episode was great, a really nice cap off to the season.  The premise is that the Panthers are playing the state playoffs.  At the same time, Coach Taylor has accepted a job in Austin next year, which is understandably disheartening to the team.  Saracen takes it pretty hard considering his father-figure is abandoning him and taking his girlfriend. Tami has decided to stay in Dillon with Julie but they haven't told Julie yet. Also, Tami finds out she's pregnant and Coach's reaction is great. At first you are afraid he will have a negative reaction, but his response is pitch perfect.  I attribute it to great actors but also great writing.

Separately Lyla and Tyra have a blow out and come to realize they are not so different.  It's nice to see their relationship grow beyond catfight territory.  While that's fine for 90210, here it's more entertaining to see the characters grow beyond just hating each other. Landry is still carrying a torch for Tyra that kind of blows up on him in a funny way.  He thinks he and Tyra will have a private drive to state when Tyra asks him to come because she has tickets.  Unfortunately, her mom and sister show up and then Saracen's grandmother...leading to a very girl-centric trip that's nothing like he imagined.

I'll let Laurel go into the rest, but all in all a very good episode that triggered emotions in the best way!

Totally, Mark is right.  Spoiler alert...Panthers win state!  So the cliff hangers for season 2 are...Panthers win state, what's gonna happen next year?  The episode ends with Jason Street giving the guys a talk about how football is a 365 a year job, so they can enjoy the day but the next day they are back to work.  Are they setting us up for Jason being the new head coach next year?!?

The next cliffhanger is Tami is fucking pregnant!!!  The last talk we see her and Coach Taylor having, Eric is ready to give up his dreams to stay in Dillon to tend to his new family.  You would think that Tami would be ecstatic about this but she is like fuck no, you need to follow your dreams in Austin and I need to follow mine in Dillon!  I'm dying to know what happens because I don't remember...

The others are less cliffhangery and just interesting to think about...will Lyla and Tyra become friends? Will Lyla make up with her dad?  Will smash transfer to another school to get more visibility?  Will Landry and Tyra actually against all odds start dating?  Will Matt and Julie stay together?  I can't wait to find out!