Season One: What Slayed

Transcript

Speaker: Previously on, previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Speaker: Yeah, so Giles' little moment, his little naughty phone call to Angel, is interrupted by, oh, the other Vision, Jenny Callender, whose hair is amazing.

Speaker: She said, you know, I'm not stupid, this is apocalypse stuff.

Speaker: We're back to the really good Buffy banter.

Speaker: Yeah, this is the Buffy banter we need.

Speaker: We don't need a hero walk and her going,

Speaker: Oh look, the bad guy.

Speaker: The bad guy.

Speaker: Wow.

Speaker: We have done it.

Speaker: We saved the world, I say we party.

Speaker: Yeah, I'm not dancing though.

Speaker: Hello everybody, welcome back to another episode of previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Speaker: We have reached the end of season one, we've done it, we've crossed the finish line.

Speaker: How do you feel about that?

Speaker: Wow.

Speaker: I'm delighted yet I'm sad at the same time because season one is a brilliant, brilliant season.

Speaker: It's one of my favorites.

Speaker: But I feel really, I feel like we've achieved something.

Speaker: I'm very proud.

Speaker: We have.

Speaker: I'm very proud as well.

Speaker: Yeah, it's gone really well.

Speaker: I'm just, I'm really happy personally with how much everybody seems to be enjoying our little ramblings about Buffy, our weird little impressions.

Speaker: tidbits and whatnot so you mean my ramblings my horrific impressions your genius i would say your creative genius absolutely absolutely and the tidbits that no one has actually everyone's just believes yeah it's it's all lies it's all lies it's yeah none of it's real

Speaker: All the Giles love as well.

Speaker: You know, that's most important.

Speaker: That's it.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And we have ramped it up.

Speaker: We have.

Speaker: As we've, as we've hit the, the season finale.

Speaker: God help you all for the next six seasons.

Speaker: That's all I can say.

Speaker: Yeah, season two.

Speaker: Oh, yeah.

Speaker: The height.

Speaker: It's all to come.

Speaker: The height of the Giles love.

Speaker: Well, we aren't over season one yet, though, because, well, I'm not ready to let go.

Speaker: So we're going to do an entire roundup.

Speaker: of season one and to do that we have decided that we we need a third to come in and help us with this so we have asked Meredith who is the wonderful artist who has been contributing all the beautiful artwork

Speaker: that we've been sharing online.

Speaker: And she's very kindly said that she would join us and go through the best episode, the best scene, the best line, the best character.

Speaker: That won't take long, that one.

Speaker: But before then, we thought we would have a quick chat to Meredith about...

Speaker: her beautiful artwork and also you know it being about Buffy as well so welcome to the show Meredith hey guys welcome to the hell mouth thank you for having me it's lovely having you here yeah I'm excited me too to try to remember everything yeah

Speaker: There is a test at the end of this, by the way, to let you know.

Speaker: So, Meredith, I mean, first and foremost, thank you so much again for all of the lovely artwork that you've been doing.

Speaker: I'm blown away by how effortless it seems.

Speaker: Well, thank you very much.

Speaker: Oh, I can't get over how quick you can create something like that.

Speaker: It's amazing.

Speaker: Yeah, it's working in watercolor, you can get stuff done pretty quickly and they're tiny little paintings.

Speaker: So I found a medium that works for this format.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And is that a favored format for you?

Speaker: It's sort of a new format.

Speaker: I did it like when I was in high school and then I went to art school and I did sculpture.

Speaker: and then no painting whatsoever and so when I started painting again maybe one day I'll see what I can do just send him to my house well we can share him for we'll take him for half the year each yeah and when I started making art again I needed something that was fairly easy to work with and didn't involve a lot of materials or space or anything so yeah

Speaker: It dries really quickly.

Speaker: You can fix mistakes easily.

Speaker: So, yeah, it's great.

Speaker: Well, you say this, but I'm like, yeah, yeah, okay.

Speaker: The only way I would be able to fix it is just to throw it away.

Speaker: Yes, I do that too sometimes.

Speaker: So, well, you said you went to art school, but have you always drawn what inspires you, what you love or...

Speaker: Yeah, I think, yes, when I was a kid, for sure.

Speaker: And then when I went to art school, fan art wasn't really a thing that you did in art school.

Speaker: It sort of looked down upon.

Speaker: I think probably just because it's technically not your intellectual property.

Speaker: Sure.

Speaker: So it's not encouraged.

Speaker: But I did find...

Speaker: that I had a great time in art school, but then when I graduated and you sort of had to get yourself out there and go to openings and network, be a salesperson for yourself, I couldn't really hack that.

Speaker: That's just not my personality.

Speaker: And I also noticed that when you went to like an art opening, it was just other artists, like trying to make connections and nobody was really looking at the art.

Speaker: So it just sort of like left a bad taste in my mouth.

Speaker: And I just sort of,

Speaker: sort of stopped for almost 10 years.

Speaker: And then when I had my baby, I needed to do something for myself.

Speaker: And so I thought I would give it a shot again.

Speaker: But I wanted to do something that was just fun and no pressure.

Speaker: And I wasn't trying to make a sale or paint something particularly deep.

Speaker: And I saw that people were doing fan art for Buffy and the X-Files online.

Speaker: And I thought they should give it a shot and see what happens.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And it was perfect.

Speaker: I'm glad you did.

Speaker: Yeah, me too.

Speaker: When was this?

Speaker: Like, how did you get into Buffy?

Speaker: Like, when did you first start watching it?

Speaker: So I'm 36 right now.

Speaker: So I watched, I saw Buffy maybe a couple times when I was a kid, but I just wasn't into it.

Speaker: I don't know why.

Speaker: But I always wanted to watch it.

Speaker: So I watched it after my son was born.

Speaker: He, like, would not sleep.

Speaker: So I had to hold him all night.

Speaker: And I'm like, oh, I need to watch a TV show to keep myself awake.

Speaker: I've always wanted to watch Puffy.

Speaker: It was on Amazon Prime.

Speaker: And so I watched it and I like instantly got hooked.

Speaker: I'm like, this is the show for me.

Speaker: It's hilarious.

Speaker: Makes me cry.

Speaker: It's beautiful.

Speaker: So that was my first time watching it.

Speaker: And then that was in like 2021.

Speaker: somewhere around there and I just I just watched it on repeat for a couple years I still watch it it's my my comfort show yeah well you were saying you've watched what five episodes today yeah last night well last night wow yeah I fast forwarded through some bits but I needed to non-jiles bits yeah it's okay you're in good company

Speaker: As you can imagine, listeners, we needed somebody to counter our Giles obsession, you know, someone who's not really into him at all.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: She lied.

Speaker: We couldn't find that person, so we went to Meredith instead.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So, yeah, so you're relatively new to Buffy then.

Speaker: As you said, you were aware of the show.

Speaker: Because you and I were at a similar age, so I'm a little older than you.

Speaker: Not much.

Speaker: Yeah, so you're, I say, relatively new to watching the show.

Speaker: But just out of interest, what season did you first see Buffy?

Speaker: Season one.

Speaker: Season one.

Speaker: When it first aired, did you come across that?

Speaker: Oh, when I saw it in like the 90s, it was actually on in syndication before the X-Files, which was my favorite show.

Speaker: And I remember seeing like Spike with his vampire makeup and just being like, oh, that looks like terrible.

Speaker: I'll never watch it.

Speaker: And then I just never really gave it another thought.

Speaker: I had friends who were into it, but it just, I don't know.

Speaker: It just sounded like,

Speaker: low budget or something.

Speaker: I don't know, but I definitely have a different opinion now.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: The low budget is what I love.

Speaker: I love hearing how people come across it or fall back into it again because it was around 2021 that I, again, on Prime, I think it was pretty much during the lockdown when everyone was watching everything imaginable.

Speaker: And I saw it come up and I was like, oh, Buffy.

Speaker: I was like oh I've not seen it for you and I hadn't seen it for years and I started watching it I was like I'll just watch the first few episodes just to just to reminisce and it was like I think I Gary sort of came along and he went are you coming to bed you've been up for you know 36 hours and you've been watching I've got one season left

Speaker: I have to know what happens.

Speaker: I have to watch it again.

Speaker: So, and he's like, well, you've just been sat there talking at the telly, you know, every single line, you know, you know, every single, and I was like, I could not believe how much I'd retained.

Speaker: So, so you really grew up with the X-Files then, because you also do fan art for that.

Speaker: I do, yeah.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Did you do fan art for that first or?

Speaker: Yeah, I started watching that when I was like 12 years old or something.

Speaker: So it had been on for a while.

Speaker: But yeah, that's it's like you with Buffy.

Speaker: Like it always it was always there.

Speaker: Like I would come back to it every couple of years.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Like my comfort show.

Speaker: But yeah, that was actually the first piece of fan art I did in recent times was a painting of Scully.

Speaker: And I got like a few likes on it and like met a few X-Files fans.

Speaker: And I was like, oh, this is like actually pretty cool to like

Speaker: connect with people over art and a show that you love.

Speaker: And like I say, like you meet, there's all types in fandoms.

Speaker: You just have to find your little group.

Speaker: And I had been sort of hesitant about approaching, especially X-Files fandoms, because they've been around for 30 years or whatever.

Speaker: So they're pretty tight.

Speaker: But yeah, just everyone has just been so welcoming, especially in the Buffy fandom as well.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Well, we are nice people, aren't we?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I think Buffy fans are like generally very sensitive people.

Speaker: Like they all really relate to Buffy's character and they're all very emotional.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I'm curious as well.

Speaker: I was just wondering about, obviously there's a lot of artists out there on social media.

Speaker: How many like Buffy artists have you kind of been able to connect with?

Speaker: Like, is that sort of its own little community?

Speaker: Do people give feedback and encouragement?

Speaker: Have you found that?

Speaker: It depends where you are.

Speaker: Like the only person I found that,

Speaker: like the person whose art actually sort of got me to start painting again was it's their handles at flummoxedgiles.

Speaker: Oh, yeah.

Speaker: I think they go by Linder.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But they just it just looked so fun.

Speaker: Like I was I had to give it a shot.

Speaker: But generally speaking, like I don't I have not found a community of artists.

Speaker: But I do find that like, like fan fiction writers and just regular fans, like they all sort of support each other.

Speaker: by sharing the art and the work.

Speaker: Tumblr is a really great place for fan art.

Speaker: Twitter is just, I think it's kind of on its last legs, so I don't know how much longer I'll be on there.

Speaker: But yeah, there's definitely support out there if you look.

Speaker: If I was an artist and I wanted to do some of my fan art for Buffy or any other show, what would you suggest?

Speaker: Where would I start?

Speaker: How would I share that with, as you said, the fandom or a wider audience?

Speaker: Would you say Tumblr is the best place?

Speaker: Yeah, I've had more success, I guess if you want to call it that, like more shares and stuff like that on Tumblr.

Speaker: And you see other people's art.

Speaker: It's more like a visual platform, I think.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: But yeah, I would definitely like encourage anybody if it's fan art and fan works and fan fiction and all sorts of those things are all great ways to introduce yourself to be creative.

Speaker: Because yeah.

Speaker: you don't have to worry about coming up with some fantastic idea.

Speaker: The ideas are there.

Speaker: Like you just get to play around within this world and you have an audience that's like receptive to that already.

Speaker: So, and like, it really doesn't matter.

Speaker: Like if you could do something terrible, but nobody cares.

Speaker: So I'm just like, just do it.

Speaker: Just keep doing it.

Speaker: And you'll get better the more you do it and you'll gain confidence.

Speaker: And like, maybe you won't,

Speaker: get any likes, but you will feel better about yourself and you will hone your skills.

Speaker: So yes, definitely just do it.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Keep doing it.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Well, I mean, we were delighted when we first got chatting to you and I know we were like, well, we don't want to

Speaker: put too much on you and you know and demand a piece per episode but um yeah it was lovely when you said should I just do one for each episode do you want me to carry on for season two it's like oh yes please yeah I wasn't sure what what the workload would be like but I I know that when Sarah had initially asked me to make art I was sort of like in a lull like I didn't really know

Speaker: I was like, well, I'm making Buffy and X-Files art, but I didn't, I had trouble like picking what I wanted to paint, but having like, okay, this is the next episode.

Speaker: I have to find an image from this episode and it's, this is the timeframe I have.

Speaker: So it's like given me structure and I can produce open chart.

Speaker: It's been great.

Speaker: Yeah, it's lovely.

Speaker: I mean, I love doing the, you know, I say the before and after, but the screenshot and then your interpretation of that.

Speaker: And it's been amazing, you know, just what I say, lining it.

Speaker: It's no effort whatsoever, you know, creating those videos because they just, it's amazing the, you know, the accuracy that you get.

Speaker: And as you said, because of the watercolors,

Speaker: It's quite a quick medium to work with.

Speaker: But to still get that accuracy and, you know, the essence of the scene, the character, you know, the context.

Speaker: I've loved it.

Speaker: I think it's been a really wonderful addition to the podcast.

Speaker: Yeah, it's been great to, like, share creative ideas.

Speaker: Like, they're two different mediums, but they work well off each other.

Speaker: They do.

Speaker: Yeah, they do.

Speaker: Well, I can't wait to see what you do for season two.

Speaker: I'm going to literally just keep on and say, what about this scene?

Speaker: Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Speaker: Probably 22 episodes, though.

Speaker: It's going to be emotional.

Speaker: I know.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's going to be emotional.

Speaker: But, well, we have...

Speaker: A lot to go through before then.

Speaker: But before we go through the rundown of season one, I thought we might be able to have a quick rundown of some of the pieces of art that Meredith's done.

Speaker: Sure, yeah.

Speaker: Now, I have a favourite.

Speaker: It just blew me away when you sent this.

Speaker: And it's from The Harvest.

Speaker: I say the balcony scene, the Giles buffet.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: And that screenshot...

Speaker: I still can't get blown away by it.

Speaker: And I love the fact that Anthony Stewart had also liked it as well.

Speaker: So it's a man with taste.

Speaker: I'm delighted that he did because it's just, it's amazing.

Speaker: It is.

Speaker: It's brilliant.

Speaker: It's so good.

Speaker: I really have to...

Speaker: To give credit to the show, though, for all my paintings, really, like I'm just copying a shot.

Speaker: Like they're the geniuses.

Speaker: Like that shot is set up to be a painting.

Speaker: It's perfect.

Speaker: The way it's the lighting, the angle of the faces, it's just great.

Speaker: It just grabs you.

Speaker: You're like, you have, I have to paint this when you see that.

Speaker: There's no question.

Speaker: I think that's, it sort of ignites imagination and your talent of being able to be able to go, oh, I'm going to paint that now.

Speaker: That's where I would completely crash and burn.

Speaker: Saying that, my father was a sign writer.

Speaker: So he was very, very good.

Speaker: He's still very good.

Speaker: So I grew up...

Speaker: at school being known as oh your dad's very good at art so I had this expectation that I should be good yes or it should be you know exceptional like like he was I was all right I could copy but um yeah I mean you'd say to him oh draw this and he would be able to draw it from from memory and it would be better than the original thing and

Speaker: Yeah, so I love looking at artists, you know, processes and how they do it.

Speaker: And so I just think, oh, I wish I was, you know, there's this small part of me that knows that I should have been good at it, you know.

Speaker: Never was.

Speaker: So do you have a favorite one that you've done, Meredith?

Speaker: That's my favorite one.

Speaker: Oh, is it?

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: Yeah, it just turned, like, sometimes I'll be painting something and I just get the feeling.

Speaker: I'm like, this is good.

Speaker: Like, this is gonna turn out perfect the way I want.

Speaker: And that one worked out really well.

Speaker: I also like the painting of Miss French.

Speaker: Yes, that's a favorite for me.

Speaker: Sort of a silly episode, but it's just, like, a great shot.

Speaker: And, like, the sort of

Speaker: special effects in season one are sort of iffy and the head turning around.

Speaker: I just, I had to capture that.

Speaker: It's brilliant.

Speaker: Now I think my other, my other favorite is it's not episode specific.

Speaker: It is of course from an episode, but it's actually the side profile of Buffy that you did for our, um,

Speaker: Podcast artwork.

Speaker: Yeah, the artwork.

Speaker: Cover art.

Speaker: It just looks like a photograph.

Speaker: It looks like, I mean, I know it is Sarah Michelle Gellar, but it looks like Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Speaker: It looks like Buffy.

Speaker: I'm looking at it now and it's instantly recognizable.

Speaker: She's got a very recognizable profile.

Speaker: Like I never really noticed that before.

Speaker: Very distinct.

Speaker: Yes, it is.

Speaker: But I don't know, it's just, I mean, even if you weren't overly familiar with the scene, I think everyone remembers that scene.

Speaker: Yes, very striking.

Speaker: Yeah, and how you've captured it, it's brilliant.

Speaker: It's so, so good.

Speaker: Meredith, just so everyone can follow, we will, of course, share again, just so if anyone wants to follow your personal artwork account, where can they follow you?

Speaker: I'm on Twitter at underscore ghost rabbit.

Speaker: And then I'm on Tumblr too.

Speaker: I don't even know.

Speaker: Hold on.

Speaker: At ghost rabbit 87.

Speaker: Oh, and I have an Instagram too.

Speaker: I don't really use it, but you can follow me there as well.

Speaker: And that is ghost underscore rabbit.

Speaker: And then the one, the I is a one.

Speaker: So that's super confusing.

Speaker: I'll actually put those in the show notes anyway.

Speaker: Yeah, you can.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Or go to the previously on Instagram and then you can find me.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Find us.

Speaker: Find it there.

Speaker: But folks, please do follow Ghost Rabbit and take a look at the rest of Meredith's artwork as well.

Speaker: So including all the X-Files.

Speaker: Honestly, it's so, so good.

Speaker: Watercolour is amazing.

Speaker: I mean, I did art at school, just not very well.

Speaker: And it's an incredibly difficult medium to work with.

Speaker: I know Meredith's going, oh, yeah, it's easy.

Speaker: No, love, it's not.

Speaker: It's hard.

Speaker: You know, you've got to be very good at it.

Speaker: So she's been very, very humble about it.

Speaker: So, yeah, go and follow and take a look at the artwork that she's done for us, but also for herself as well and for other fandoms as well.

Speaker: So, well, we're going to carry on into the rundown for season one.

Speaker: I've been so excited for this.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's been so difficult, though, at the same time, because there's some elements where I think, oh, yeah, this is definitely my favourite episode.

Speaker: And I've noticed as well over the season, I don't know if you've been doing this, Sarah, but I've literally been going, oh, this is my favourite.

Speaker: This is my favourite episode.

Speaker: This is my favourite line.

Speaker: this is the best one in the season.

Speaker: And I say that about pretty much every episode.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Or this, this thing that we've had, we've had it well, more than a couple of times, I think where it's like, Oh, can't wait for the next episode.

Speaker: This is one of my favorites, full stop.

Speaker: And then I think it was witch.

Speaker: You were like, I can't remember why I liked this episode so much.

Speaker: Not so much.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So, yeah, it's been odd because we're watching it in a different way, I think.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So, which is why I think, Meredith, having your guest appearance here, you know, you've been watching it for a different purpose most recently.

Speaker: Of course, you know, you've probably been keeping your eye out for scenes that you can...

Speaker: paint for for us but as you said it's a comfort series for you as well so so we thought we could hopefully combine our experiences and opinions together and then come up with the top three so um now we may have our own opinions on this but i've got a feeling that this i've got a feeling that it's a deep sorry jumping ahead there

Speaker: I've got a theory.

Speaker: I've, yeah, so I think that we probably will agree on certain things on a certain librarian.

Speaker: But yeah, so it'll be interesting to see what we've come up with.

Speaker: And we want to hear from you guys as well.

Speaker: We want to hear what was your top three characters, your top three scenes, your top three episodes, your

Speaker: And your top three lines.

Speaker: Or do you have more?

Speaker: Because I have more and it's been really difficult to narrow them down.

Speaker: So let's start with our third favourite episode.

Speaker: What was yours, Sarah?

Speaker: For me, I struggled between Prophecy Girl and Nightmares, but Nightmares came out on top.

Speaker: And I know there were bits in the episode that...

Speaker: We're literally quite nightmarish for some of us.

Speaker: If you're not a fan of spiders, particularly.

Speaker: Or clowns.

Speaker: Or clowns.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But it was just it was such a really well done thing.

Speaker: I think the storytelling was just brilliant.

Speaker: It was a brilliant concept.

Speaker: And it was just, we were marked on it at the time.

Speaker: So much happened in this episode.

Speaker: There were just, there were multiple nightmare scenarios for each character and it just got more and more intense for me.

Speaker: So yeah, I thought it was just really well done.

Speaker: And what was number three for you, Meredith?

Speaker: Mine was Welcome to the Hill Mouth.

Speaker: Oh, what a good, yeah.

Speaker: It's maybe not the best episode of the season, but it's,

Speaker: very important, obviously.

Speaker: And it feels like, to me, it's just like this time machine to 1997.

Speaker: So nostalgic.

Speaker: It just has that look.

Speaker: Like, it's almost like, because I think it was shot on film.

Speaker: It's even got like film crackles in it.

Speaker: But yeah, the fashion, the slang, just brilliant.

Speaker: And like, you really see, it's hard to talk about without referencing the rest of the show, but you really get to see

Speaker: where all the characters are coming from.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: The little quirks and their personalities are just starting to work out.

Speaker: And the actors are also just getting comfortable with the character too.

Speaker: Like you notice things that maybe sort of disappear later on.

Speaker: Like Fluffy's really a valley girl in that episode and a cheerleader.

Speaker: And like she doesn't really, that sort of stops after.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: first season and like Giles is really uptight like exactly yes it is yes it is a little yeah um that's my oh do you know I've I don't know can I change mine

Speaker: It's just going to be so difficult.

Speaker: Well, my number three is never kill a boy on a first date, which I know sits a little low for a lot of people.

Speaker: And I love it.

Speaker: I love all of them, though.

Speaker: This is the trouble.

Speaker: But never kill a boy on a first date, for me, really sort of starts to cement the...

Speaker: the big bad for the weak, you have an underlying story arc that you don't necessarily...

Speaker: get too much of you know it's it's it's there it's in the background but it's you know it's running in the background the characters are getting into their into their essence they're finding each other and I love the introduction very clever introduction of guest stars which I think this show did so so well and I think it's testament because you know some of these guest stars

Speaker: characters guest actors and actresses they continue you know they they become returning they become recurring even some become regular um so it's i think it's a that was for me it was like the beginning of a what makes a buffy episode a buffy episode and it worked so so well and i think the last thing i really love about it is they really played with the the watcher slayer dynamic

Speaker: throughout that.

Speaker: And they had it as a huge parallel, which I really enjoyed.

Speaker: It's almost two worlds colliding.

Speaker: And I love it.

Speaker: But yeah, there's other ones.

Speaker: So what is your number two, Sarah?

Speaker: Mine is iRobot Eugene.

Speaker: And it was kind of at a point in the rewatch where I was like,

Speaker: I wonder if this will overtake my, you know, favorite episode of the season so far, but it didn't.

Speaker: It's gone into second place.

Speaker: Yeah, I just, I think it's really clever.

Speaker: Just the whole thing of, you know, the internet.

Speaker: I just, I find it so funny as well.

Speaker: So nostalgic.

Speaker: You know, remember when you used to have demons in your internet?

Speaker: That makes me nostalgic.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But yeah, I think what I love probably most about that is the introduction of Jenny as well, because I love just what it brings.

Speaker: Oh, yeah, you're love struck.

Speaker: I love her.

Speaker: I fell in love with Jenny Callender in iRobotU, Jane.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I remember the moment.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I love what she brought out in Giles, just right from the off.

Speaker: Obviously, the chemistry between them, but also just their sparring, the collision of computers and books.

Speaker: Yeah, it's just very entertaining.

Speaker: I love what she brought out in you, Sophie, as well, you know, in this season.

Speaker: I have no shame.

Speaker: Nor should you.

Speaker: I would willingly...

Speaker: fight Giles for her yeah yeah definitely absolutely she's a she's a woman worth fighting for absolutely so um no I agree with you it's a fantastic episode um and I'm wondering why it's not on my list oh this is so hard the way people sort of

Speaker: were afraid of the internet during that time like yeah this like yeah this thing where like bad people hang out and yeah it's just great or just like the terms they use like i'm jacked in i think the one guy said like what old fritz weeden yeah

Speaker: Oh, dear.

Speaker: That's another reason, actually, why I love that episode.

Speaker: It gave us Fritz Whedon.

Speaker: Your brilliance gave us Fritz Whedon.

Speaker: Brilliant.

Speaker: So, Meredith, what is number two for you?

Speaker: Number two for me is The Puppet Show.

Speaker: Oh, good choice.

Speaker: The goofiest episode probably of Buffy.

Speaker: But just like perfect.

Speaker: To me, it's just Buffy at its heart is just like this campy thing.

Speaker: And like it sort of loses that as time goes on.

Speaker: Gets a little bit more serious.

Speaker: This is just like lighthearted fun.

Speaker: When I think of season one, I think of this episode.

Speaker: Yeah, just brilliant.

Speaker: Like you can tell everyone is having a great time.

Speaker: I mean, I don't have a whole lot to say about it because it's not that deep of an episode, but it gets me every time.

Speaker: I wasn't having a great time.

Speaker: It is a great episode, but I was very uncomfortable around ventriloquist dummies.

Speaker: Yeah, yes.

Speaker: He's very frightening.

Speaker: The voice and everything.

Speaker: Yeah, it is.

Speaker: Yeah, it's a really good choice.

Speaker: And you get Snyder.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: One of the best side characters.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And again, you know, as I said earlier, it's the guest...

Speaker: characters that you get and you know and all of the pieces um that make Buffy what it is it's it's not necessarily Buffy of course is there in essence and then you have the core the scooby gang but it's all of those you know it's Harmony it's Snyder it's yes it's Jenny it's Angel to a certain extent you know it's it's fantastic I say to a certain extent not because I don't like Angel sorry I sound really awful then but

Speaker: Angel is obviously a little more present.

Speaker: But yeah, I love the puppet show.

Speaker: And Sid is a great character.

Speaker: The scene where Giles tells Cordelia something's wrong with her hair.

Speaker: So good.

Speaker: He's like, oh, it worked.

Speaker: Yeah, he's understood it would work like a charm.

Speaker: Fantastic.

Speaker: So my number two is Nightmares.

Speaker: Nightmares.

Speaker: Because it is just because it's a good episode.

Speaker: No, it's it's it is.

Speaker: I think it is one of the most personally one of the most prolific episodes of the entire series.

Speaker: It really shouldn't have been in season one.

Speaker: But, you know, if you look at if you look back at it, knowing what what happened in all of the other seasons,

Speaker: It's such a foreshadowing.

Speaker: It's not just like the one thing.

Speaker: It's so many bits and pieces.

Speaker: Now, whether that's an unhappy accident or I'd like to think that, you know, they they'd had an idea where they were going to take.

Speaker: all of the characters or where they might end up.

Speaker: And yeah, it's a brilliant, brilliant episode of writing, direction, acting.

Speaker: But I think as well, it truly makes the series, the iconic series that it is, for the reasons that we mentioned in our episode.

Speaker: It's a real shame that they didn't do that again, almost like a carbon copy.

Speaker: later on what is your top episode Sarah mine is never kill a boy on the first day

Speaker: There's a surprise.

Speaker: Yeah, I was only saying it all the way through.

Speaker: I don't think this will be displaced.

Speaker: And no, it wasn't.

Speaker: No.

Speaker: Yeah, just where do you even start?

Speaker: I mean, you mentioned the parallels.

Speaker: That was a really big one as well.

Speaker: And between Giles and Owen and...

Speaker: Yeah, it was just, I think for me, there were some of the best lines of the whole series.

Speaker: Like it was just one zinger after another.

Speaker: I lost count of just how many fantastic one-liners there were.

Speaker: There was so much humor in it, but then also some emotion as well.

Speaker: I don't want to say too much about it because we're getting into scenes and stuff.

Speaker: But yeah, as you mentioned, the Watcher Slayer dynamic, that was just perfection.

Speaker: I just love the development of the relationship between those two.

Speaker: That episode was great for it.

Speaker: And just the scene in the cemetery with Buffy and Giles was just like...

Speaker: fantastic absolutely just brilliant yep so that's my number one it is it is a fantastic episode and I'm yeah I feel terrible now for putting it as my number three I can't be like you know I'm just convinced if someone says oh what about this episode I'm like yeah that's the best one yeah that's the best one I cannot make my mind up in fact I have changed my mind just now

Speaker: for my number one but what is your number one Meredith?

Speaker: My number one is Prophecy Girl a lot of people consider that their number one it's just so beautiful first of all every shot in that is great and it's just like jam-packed like it's action from beginning to end and you really see the characters go from like their lowest and then they redeem themselves and end up stronger in the end

Speaker: Even Xander, like, feeling rejected by Buffy, ends up saving her life and sort of re-evaluates his relationship to her.

Speaker: And he sees value in being a good friend to her.

Speaker: And then Buffy being faced with this prophecy that she's going to die.

Speaker: She hadn't really been taking her job seriously up until that point.

Speaker: And she gives up when she hears that.

Speaker: But then by sort of accepting it and allowing herself to fail, she is reborn a stronger person, which is like a great life lesson.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: You've got to let yourself fail.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Got to take it and grow from it.

Speaker: So, yeah, just, yeah, stunning episode.

Speaker: Unforgettable.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Oh, no.

Speaker: I don't know what my – okay.

Speaker: So, hmm.

Speaker: I'm not allowed to change my mind.

Speaker: Yeah, change it.

Speaker: Is that the rule?

Speaker: Can I change my mind?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: I will change it again halfway through this episode.

Speaker: Guaranteed.

Speaker: So, well, I was – hmm.

Speaker: I was going to say which as my number one.

Speaker: Because I just, yeah.

Speaker: But you couldn't remember why you liked it so much.

Speaker: It just reminded me I couldn't actually remember why I liked it.

Speaker: So I'm actually going to go with Welcome to the Hellmouth.

Speaker: For very similar reasons, actually, Meredith, for why it was your number three.

Speaker: It's quirky.

Speaker: It packs a punch.

Speaker: It's fast-paced.

Speaker: It introduces everyone, but in a really good, clever way.

Speaker: You don't feel like you're being cajoled through this odd story.

Speaker: It feels real.

Speaker: You think, oh, yeah, of course.

Speaker: We know vampires are real.

Speaker: Oh, the Slayer, okay.

Speaker: It allows you to move on very quickly.

Speaker: It's a very intelligent piece of television.

Speaker: I think it's testament for...

Speaker: The fact that obviously they made, well, they did the unaired pilot, which we've not discussed at all.

Speaker: Have you guys seen it?

Speaker: I've seen it multiple times.

Speaker: I've never seen it.

Speaker: You've not?

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: You'll have to watch that.

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: Interestingly, it's not an episode that the creators wanted anyone to see.

Speaker: but it was leaked some time ago and the story is is similar there's no master for instance you know and by and large the cast is is set but you can tell you know the actors haven't quite understood the characters you know they're still working through that and getting ideas and

Speaker: to see that development into what becomes Welcome to the Howlmouth and the Harvest is, you know, it's great.

Speaker: So, yeah, so I think that's going to have to be my number one.

Speaker: MUSIC

Speaker: Well, OK, so we have number three is nightmares.

Speaker: Number two is welcome to the hellmouth.

Speaker: And number one is never kill a boy on the first date.

Speaker: Wow.

Speaker: So that is our, that's our official top three.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So thank you so much for being that deciding vote, Meredith.

Speaker: So three is the magic number.

Speaker: And yeah, so...

Speaker: Well, we aren't going to just stop at the best episode because I know that we were really struggling with multiple runners up and favourite moments and lines and scenes.

Speaker: So shall we go through our top three scenes?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Do you want to start with your number three, Meredith?

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: This, again, is just sort of like the episode, just fun.

Speaker: But at the end of the puppet show, when they're having that big fight on the stage and then the curtain goes up and there's an audience watching them.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Just so perfect, like unexpected, hilarious.

Speaker: And then it cuts to the credits and then there's like a scene of the Scoobies rehearsing a play or performing a play.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: So weird.

Speaker: That never happens again.

Speaker: um but just i love it it's just like very unexpected this threw me off and yeah oedipus oedipus yes and willow just running away i'm poor snyder doesn't get it yeah i don't get it is that avant-garde it's brilliant yeah oh so you're you're a huge fan of puppet show then

Speaker: I do.

Speaker: It's just so fun.

Speaker: I don't know.

Speaker: As a person who's not analyzing the show for a podcast, just going on feeling, it just makes me feel good to watch it.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: It's just a delight.

Speaker: brilliant but also horrifying because it's yeah and what about yourself Sarah um my number three is Buffy and Cordelia's little heart to heart in out of mind out of sight and I know it was kind of it wasn't one long scene it was sort of uh intercut with other bits but um

Speaker: Yeah, I just thought it was really well done.

Speaker: And Cordelia hadn't really, she'd kind of been underused a little bit in the previous few episodes.

Speaker: And I just thought it was a nice development for her character.

Speaker: They could find some common ground and relate to each other and both realize that maybe their impressions of one another weren't 100% true.

Speaker: Accurate.

Speaker: I mean, I liked the way, you know, Buffy didn't excuse some of Cordelia's behavior, but at the same time, she could understand her feelings of loneliness.

Speaker: I liked that that was the theme and that they were both experiencing it in different ways.

Speaker: And it just paves the way for Cordelia to become more integrated with the gang as well.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Hmm.

Speaker: It adds another dimension to Cordelia.

Speaker: She's not just a bully.

Speaker: And it was well-timed as well because I think –

Speaker: It wasn't getting boring, but it was getting to the point where we were beginning to really dislike Cordelia because there was no reason for her to be that, well, just that aggressive towards Buffy.

Speaker: No, good choice.

Speaker: That's a really good choice.

Speaker: My favourite scene, well, my third favourite, is also from Out of Sight, Out of Mind.

Speaker: And it's actually the scene where we get the Scoobies all together in the library for the first time.

Speaker: And by Scoobies, I also mean Cordelia.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And it's when Cordy comes into the library and Giles actually points out, I don't think I've ever seen you in this library.

Speaker: She goes, oh, no, I have a life.

Speaker: And she brings...

Speaker: this new dimension to, so again, you know, it's well-timed where you think, come on, people ought, they need to start realising what's going on in Sunnydale now, you know, teachers are dying, you know, children disappear, there's things wrong with people's faces.

Speaker: And I think it's nice that you get Cordy saying, you're always there.

Speaker: You always turn up when this shit happens.

Speaker: And that's why I've come to you.

Speaker: I've come to you for help.

Speaker: And yeah, it's a fantastic scene.

Speaker: But it is the first time that we get them all together in the library.

Speaker: And so the library is my favorite place.

Speaker: So yeah, that's my number three.

Speaker: What is your number two, Meredith?

Speaker: Number two is Principal Flutie ripping up Buffy's permanent record.

Speaker: Oh, it's like one of the first scenes in Welcome to the Homeoff.

Speaker: Just again, hilarious.

Speaker: And I actually noted like this could just be me, but I noticed some similarities between that scene and then the prophecy in Prophecy Girl where Buffy is destined to be a failure at school because nobody is giving her a chance.

Speaker: Like he he gives the impression that he's there to support her, but he's really doesn't trust her.

Speaker: Same thing in Prophecy Girl.

Speaker: You're going to die.

Speaker: You can't handle it.

Speaker: But in the end, she proves everybody wrong.

Speaker: When she gets support from the people around her, she can achieve those goals.

Speaker: But also just, yeah, hilarious seeing that actor.

Speaker: Ken Lerner.

Speaker: He's brilliant.

Speaker: Again, he's one of my favorite characters.

Speaker: Supporting character again.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: And, yeah, I was, I mourn

Speaker: The moment they lose him.

Speaker: Yeah, that's a tough, tough episode.

Speaker: It is.

Speaker: And what about yourself, Sarah?

Speaker: For me, it's the scene in Prophecy Girl in the library with Angel, Giles and Buffy where Buffy finds out her fate.

Speaker: It's just the emotion from Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Speaker: And how she just cycles through all these stages.

Speaker: It's fantastic.

Speaker: It's just brilliant acting from everybody, but especially from her.

Speaker: And how the other two play off her emotions.

Speaker: It's brilliant.

Speaker: And just obviously that line that she delivers about, you know, I'm 16 years old.

Speaker: I don't want to die.

Speaker: It just shows it reminds you of God.

Speaker: You know, she is only 16 and she might be the slayer and everything, but it just shows that she's a vulnerable teenage girl at the heart of it.

Speaker: And yeah.

Speaker: Also, there's this look on Giles' face like he does not know what to do about this.

Speaker: He's just completely helpless.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I just love the emotion of that scene.

Speaker: Yeah, it's heartbreaking.

Speaker: It is.

Speaker: And it's so well written.

Speaker: Looking at the best lines.

Speaker: I think that entire scene is just one amazing masterpiece of writing.

Speaker: And yeah, Sir Michelle Gallup, just for that scene alone, never mind about the rest of it that she does later on with the show, she should have been at least nominated for all the awards.

Speaker: Well, my number two is from The Harvest, and it is the scene that inspired the amazing artwork that you did as well, Meredith, which is the balcony scene.

Speaker: I don't know why we call it the balcony scene, because, of course, the other famous balcony scene is Romeo and Juliet.

Speaker: But, no, the balcony scene where Buffy sees Giles in the bronze.

Speaker: It's just hilarious.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Buffy's just full of sass and she's like, isn't that kind of skanky, you know, hanging around with all the students.

Speaker: We get to see for the first time the complete opposite.

Speaker: Well, I say the generations, the culture, everything clashed between these two generations.

Speaker: characters and they're both incredibly stubborn and it's a fantastic scene it's lit beautifully and very similar to your number three Sarah you know where it's intercut with other well so you know you've got Willow you know shots shots of Willow being chatted up by the vampire guy but um yeah it's it's a fantastic scene I think and

Speaker: It's a moment as well where Buffy actually...

Speaker: takes control she actually says no i have got to get this sorted and she ignores everything that she's been saying about how much she doesn't care and and all the rest of it the minute that she sees willow she goes to her rescue uh so yeah it's it's a great scene it's one of my favorites so we are on to the top number one scene for season one what was your best scene meredith

Speaker: Um, my top scene was the, I don't want to die that Sarah mentioned.

Speaker: Um, yeah, just, yeah, the act, like, I think maybe Sarah Michelle Gellar, people don't expect that from her, but she is so brilliant.

Speaker: Like it just comes out of her in that scene.

Speaker: It's just amazing.

Speaker: And I think, um, that sort of feeling of life is hard enough, but now you want me to do another thing on top of that is like sort of a relatable thing.

Speaker: in real life that having to just grow up and you don't have a choice and sorry.

Speaker: Yeah, it just instantly relatable.

Speaker: Makes me cry every time.

Speaker: Yeah, it is.

Speaker: It's so good.

Speaker: And I think as well, you know, we've mentioned Buffy and Giles in those scenes and Sam Michelle Gellar as well.

Speaker: And I think Angel does such a good job.

Speaker: He is the spare part there.

Speaker: And it works so well because it makes you feel awkward.

Speaker: You can feel his awkwardness.

Speaker: He doesn't know what's

Speaker: to do either so we get three sides of the same situation

Speaker: being played out and yeah it is it is fantastic what is your number one Sarah well my number one is another Buffy and Giles scene surprise surprise from Never Kill a Boy on the First Date it's that last scene where they connect on a new level because Giles is trying to reassure

Speaker: Buffy with his own sort of experience of, you know, that kind of pressure, having a certain destiny.

Speaker: In his case, it was being a watcher, but he gives us a little insight into his childhood and it just, Buffy, I think, really sees him in a new light and they're able to connect after sort of button heads for the last few episodes.

Speaker: It's very much been

Speaker: why won't this annoying librarian just let me do what I want to do?

Speaker: And that was kind of the theme for the whole episode.

Speaker: She just wanted to go on a date and be a normal girl.

Speaker: And they just, they come together at the end and connect in that way.

Speaker: So I thought it was just a really lovely scene, really well played.

Speaker: And yeah, it's Buffy and Giles.

Speaker: What can I say?

Speaker: Yeah, it's a lovely scene.

Speaker: I do.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And again, I think it's a classic scene, isn't it?

Speaker: I think everyone sort of remembers it and again, it's key to Buffy's journey.

Speaker: But again, you get that.

Speaker: And I think what I like about the show is that every single character, regardless of their age, they're on their own journey, they're on their own path.

Speaker: And that's why it makes it so relatable to Buffy.

Speaker: To when I was 10, I was watching it.

Speaker: Now I'm 37 and I can still relate to it in some way.

Speaker: Yeah, it's a lovely scene.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Oh gosh, this is so difficult.

Speaker: I know.

Speaker: Well, I actually, I wrote my

Speaker: top scene before I wrote my second and third.

Speaker: And mine is actually from I, Robot, You, Jane.

Speaker: And it is the amazing monologue that Giles gives

Speaker: about why he prefers books and it's the smell and it's tangible and knowledge should be smelly.

Speaker: I love it.

Speaker: I think it's a fantastic piece of writing.

Speaker: It's not really relevant at all to the rest of the show.

Speaker: But yeah, it's, it's something that I wholeheartedly agree with.

Speaker: And yeah, it's, it's got to be one of my, my favorite.

Speaker: I think it was delivered beautifully.

Speaker: And, um, and it's still so relevant today.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Very much so.

Speaker: So yes, knowledge should be smelly.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Get that on a t-shirt.

Speaker: That's a good idea.

Speaker: OK, well, yeah, I think those scenes, there's 12 episodes.

Speaker: There's too many scenes to narrow it down to three.

Speaker: So we all agree, all of those scenes that we've mentioned.

Speaker: They hold a special place in our heart or we've recently rediscovered them and thought, yeah, they just, it's just so well done or it reaffirms what we always thought of the show.

Speaker: So what was your favorite scene?

Speaker: Have you got three or have you got too many?

Speaker: Please do share online.

Speaker: So remember to tag us and give your opinion.

Speaker: So your top lines, what would be your top three, Meredith?

Speaker: Number three is, um, you have fruit punch mouth.

Speaker: Bucky says to the master.

Speaker: Just great.

Speaker: Just like out of the blue, like, and then his response, like, what?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's a very tense moment.

Speaker: And then.

Speaker: yeah it's brilliant that's one of the great things about the show is they can just cut through the tension with yes this line that makes you laugh out loud yes absolutely yes number two is um god what is your childhood trauma cordelia oh i forgot just hilarious and rude which sums up cordelia no filter just great

Speaker: She delivers lines like nobody else, I think, in that show.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Number one, very iconic.

Speaker: I think I've seen it printed on t-shirts is, If the apocalypse comes, beat me.

Speaker: Could not be more 90s.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Just great.

Speaker: The tone that she says it, very California.

Speaker: Reference to a pager.

Speaker: Just, yeah, perfect.

Speaker: Thumbs up the show.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: So interestingly, two of yours are Buffy?

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Interesting.

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: What about yourself, Sarah?

Speaker: Number three is from the puppet show.

Speaker: It's when Willow says, It could be anyone.

Speaker: It could be me.

Speaker: It's not though.

Speaker: It's not.

Speaker: Brilliant.

Speaker: It's brilliant.

Speaker: Number two is Cordelia in Welcome to the Hellmouth.

Speaker: What is your childhood trauma?

Speaker: And it's just the way she says it.

Speaker: It's just brilliant delivery.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I think it would have been a great line anyway, but it's all in the delivery.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: She makes it come alive.

Speaker: It's how she says trauma.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Because I think it's a very American trauma.

Speaker: And her God.

Speaker: God.

Speaker: I think it's the scene afterwards where she's like,

Speaker: I'm gonna kill you, I'm gonna kill you.

Speaker: She was like this, coming at me lately.

Speaker: I was thinking, Paul Dillia, calm down.

Speaker: Calm down, yeah.

Speaker: Stop lying.

Speaker: And what is your number one?

Speaker: It's just fantastic.

Speaker: Again, it's from Never Kill a Boy on the first date, when Giles says, All right, I'll just jump in my time machine, go back to the 12th century and ask the vampires to postpone their ancient prophecy for a few days while you take in dinner and a show.

Speaker: It's just, oh, that is just great writing.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: One of mine is a direct response to that, which is Buffy saying, okay, at this point you're abusing sarcasm.

Speaker: Brilliant.

Speaker: So, yeah, that's my number three.

Speaker: So that worked beautifully.

Speaker: Perfect, yeah.

Speaker: My number two is...

Speaker: Xander, when he is in, well, it's out of sight, out of mind.

Speaker: And it still cracks me up.

Speaker: It makes me laugh now when they're discussing the attack on Mitch, when they're in the cafeteria and the fact that the bat was floating.

Speaker: And Xander just says, maybe it's a vampire bat.

Speaker: I'm alone with that one, huh?

Speaker: I just, oh, it just cracks me up every time.

Speaker: And it's the fact that no one laughs.

Speaker: And he's like, I'm on my own.

Speaker: I have been laughing for 20 odd years now.

Speaker: Every time.

Speaker: Without fail.

Speaker: And my number one is from Prophecy Girl.

Speaker: And it is the master.

Speaker: When he says, and he's doing this and he's screaming up at the

Speaker: I say the ceiling, at the earth above him.

Speaker: And all of the ground is rumbling and there's an earthquake and all the rest of it.

Speaker: And it stops.

Speaker: And he looks over at the little boy, Colin, and he goes, What do you think?

Speaker: 5.1?

Speaker: Just the delivery, the timing.

Speaker: It just made, every single one makes me laugh.

Speaker: And I mean, there's so many poignant lines, but I couldn't resist choosing the ones that made me laugh the most.

Speaker: Well, those are the ones I think people tend to remember the most.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Especially when it takes you out of a tense moment.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: You appreciate it.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And I must say, an honourable mention is, I love all the ones that you guys mentioned.

Speaker: In fact, as you were saying them, I thought, OK, I'll just cross that off, cross that off, keep moving up.

Speaker: There is another Cordelia line when, again, out of sight, out of mind, when she goes into the library and she's like, it's about me.

Speaker: me me me and Xander says for once she's right it's brilliant so so clever um but yeah this I mean there's so many good moments yeah timing writing casting it's a beautiful show it is yeah it's perfect

Speaker: So, guys, we've got to decide on our best character, our favourite character from season one.

Speaker: And this is so difficult because we've all seen the show.

Speaker: Mm-hmm.

Speaker: So you have to sort of remove everything that you know about them.

Speaker: Including the potential for a certain character that you loved in season one that maybe you don't love them so much later on.

Speaker: Or maybe you love someone more.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: But that all has to be put to one side.

Speaker: That's it.

Speaker: My number three for season one is the master.

Speaker: He's just brilliant.

Speaker: He's one of the best bad guys.

Speaker: Mark Metcalf just did a stupendous job in that makeup and that suit.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And those Velcro sleeves.

Speaker: Those Velcro sleeves.

Speaker: He just owned.

Speaker: He owned it.

Speaker: And, yeah, I think, you know, potentially it could have been a very difficult role to make serious.

Speaker: And I think if you look back immediately at the film, that did go down that sort of comedic caricature route.

Speaker: And he didn't do that.

Speaker: He was still funny about it, though, which I really liked.

Speaker: He had the sass.

Speaker: And really, I think he was the other side of Buffy.

Speaker: They were essentially the same character.

Speaker: They were stuck in Sunnydale.

Speaker: They'd found themselves there.

Speaker: They had their own problems.

Speaker: They had their own destinies.

Speaker: And they came to a head at the end of

Speaker: the season um and they both got the better of each other so yeah it's he's he was a fantastic character and i think the best foe for buffy um and to start for season one as well like it really sort of sets it set the tone um for all of the well the term big bad you know he was the first one and um you know everyone was sort of judged

Speaker: and compared to the master.

Speaker: So yeah, I think he's my number three.

Speaker: Yeah, he's brilliant.

Speaker: I don't know if you guys know this, but if you've seen the music video for We're Not Going to Take It by Twisted Sister, he's the dad.

Speaker: Oh, is he?

Speaker: You can see.

Speaker: Oh, it's been a long time since I've seen that.

Speaker: Yeah, it's a great video.

Speaker: You should watch it.

Speaker: But it's definitely like, oh, that's the master.

Speaker: Like you can tell.

Speaker: Oh, I did not know that.

Speaker: I need to go and see that now.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So who is your number three then, guys?

Speaker: Who's going to go first?

Speaker: I'll go.

Speaker: Yeah, go on then.

Speaker: Your suggestion that I talk about her, Sophie, is I chose Willow.

Speaker: Right, yes.

Speaker: I wasn't sure, because like I was saying, there's not a lot happening with her character in the first season.

Speaker: And it's, again, very hard to talk about her without referencing what happens later.

Speaker: But you can really see

Speaker: the depths in her character that it's almost like they knew what was going to happen later on when they wrote this season, like more than any other character it feels like.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: She's not just a nerd with low self-esteem.

Speaker: You can see there's like a little seed in her that she's like confident in who she is.

Speaker: Like she knows what's right, what's wrong.

Speaker: She like, she knows Cordelia is wrong.

Speaker: She doesn't get under her skin.

Speaker: She's not like a pushover.

Speaker: No.

Speaker: Or like when Xander...

Speaker: says, well, Buffy rejected me.

Speaker: Why don't we go to the prom?

Speaker: And she's, no.

Speaker: Like, she's still, there's that little fire inside of her, which if you keep that in mind through later seasons, you can, you see where it starts.

Speaker: Yeah, I completely get why you chose her.

Speaker: And I know we've said this as we've been re-watching.

Speaker: We say, oh, Willow's got some zap to her.

Speaker: And as you say, she's not a pushover.

Speaker: Yeah, like she may be hung up on Xander, but she won't just blindly, she'll be like, yeah, okay, that's not, we're not going there.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: That's too much.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: She was a great, I know at the time, she was so popular.

Speaker: when I was growing up you know everyone wanted to be like Willow rather than Buffy um and um really what a fantastic role model to have you know for season one of course I'm not saying yes forget about what happened but um but what didn't happen but yeah yeah she's yeah I'm I'm really glad that you settled on on Willow

Speaker: She's also so cute in season one.

Speaker: I know.

Speaker: With the bucket hats and the overalls.

Speaker: The orange tights.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Amazing.

Speaker: What about yourself, Sarah?

Speaker: It is the love of your life, Jenny Callender.

Speaker: Jenny.

Speaker: I have a secondary list and it just says Jenny.

Speaker: Jenny, Jenny, Jenny.

Speaker: Jenny, Jenny.

Speaker: Yeah, I mean, it's kind of like what I said before.

Speaker: I mean, she is well, they're all new characters in season one.

Speaker: But I mean, at the point that she's introduced, it's just the perfect time.

Speaker: And I love that they don't waste any time in building that up.

Speaker: It's just she's there.

Speaker: She's sparring with Giles straight away.

Speaker: And it's like, oh, she's literally thrown into everything.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And she's just so, like, she disappears for a little bit, but when she comes back, she's just, she's so useful all the time.

Speaker: She adds something to, you know, that keeps the story moving along.

Speaker: She has her own strengths to bring back

Speaker: to it even though Giles is like blind to technology at first she obviously leaving aside what happens next with those two you can see it being set up and you're just like oh I think I like where this is going but yeah and she's just great she's got some great lines she's got so much sass yeah I love when she just calls him snobby all the time I am not

Speaker: She brings it out in him to that fire, which is always good.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah, she likes to antagonize him.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Oh, gosh.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's a hobby for her, definitely.

Speaker: I think as well, though, I really like her dynamic with the others because they clearly really like...

Speaker: and trust Jenny.

Speaker: Well, no, they don't, do they?

Speaker: Because Xander and Willa are like, who let her in?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: At first.

Speaker: But they...

Speaker: By that, I mean they value her enough to not think, oh, well, she's just a teacher.

Speaker: They see her as an individual, as a person.

Speaker: And they're asking Giles, they're saying, why is she here?

Speaker: What value has she got?

Speaker: And it's not, oh, she's another authority figure that we have to bow down to.

Speaker: But just how she speaks to them, it's very equal and

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: You know, she's she's very mature with them, as is Giles.

Speaker: But he obviously has a different relationship with them.

Speaker: He's not.

Speaker: Well, he's a teacher, isn't he?

Speaker: But he's not really.

Speaker: She is a teacher.

Speaker: She teaches.

Speaker: She has lessons with them.

Speaker: You know, that relationship.

Speaker: I could just imagine her to be a fantastic teacher and getting the most out of her.

Speaker: Well, she would have got the most out of me.

Speaker: Absolutely.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I'd have done so well at computers if I'd have had a teacher like Jenny Callender.

Speaker: In fact, I often thought that at the time.

Speaker: I thought, God, I'd be so much better at this.

Speaker: Ms.

Speaker: Callender.

Speaker: I just love it how he says her name as well.

Speaker: A dreadful calendar woman.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Dreaded calendar woman.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I didn't do it.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Oh, yeah.

Speaker: It's a good choice.

Speaker: So, well, my number two is Buffy.

Speaker: I just, yeah, I couldn't not include Buffy.

Speaker: No.

Speaker: I mean, hint, the show is called Buffy.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But as we've already said, you know, the show is made up of so many different characters and it's not necessarily the lead that you might relate to.

Speaker: But I think for myself...

Speaker: particularly more recently when I, when I was growing up, not so much, I didn't actually think too much about Buffy.

Speaker: Um, her humor was a little beyond me.

Speaker: I say it was a little American.

Speaker: I'm not going to sound like Giles there, but, um, you know, I was, I was a 10 year old English girl.

Speaker: I didn't really know what she was saying half the time.

Speaker: Um, she was just a bit too quick for me, but it's, um,

Speaker: Now, I really sound like Giles, but the most recent rewatches, Buffy has just, yeah, I just think she's so funny.

Speaker: She's so quick witted.

Speaker: She's clever.

Speaker: She's resourceful.

Speaker: And, you know, she's not necessarily the best, which I really like about about her.

Speaker: You know, she's not the best academically.

Speaker: She could, of course, be incredibly sporty and what have you, but she she can't be involved the way that she wants to be involved.

Speaker: And, yeah, you know, I can really relate to that.

Speaker: And, yeah, Buffy is, I think I say she makes the show.

Speaker: I don't think she makes the show.

Speaker: I think every day.

Speaker: part makes the show but Buffy for me is Sarah Michelle Gellar I can't imagine anyone else playing her and you know and every every few years you know they open up Pandora's box and say oh there's going to be a reboot and they're going to remake it and all the rest of it and every single time everyone always results in well we need Sarah Michelle Gellar to be part of it in some way and

Speaker: And I'm really glad, actually, personally, that she just says, nope, that's it.

Speaker: Done.

Speaker: It can't be done again.

Speaker: We did it.

Speaker: And she did it to such a good extent.

Speaker: But for season one, she just made the whole... She convinced everyone that this show was worth progressing with.

Speaker: Yeah, so, yeah, Buffy for me.

Speaker: What about yourself, Meredith?

Speaker: Okay, so number two for me is Giles.

Speaker: There's not a whole lot of background on his character in this season.

Speaker: You don't really know much about him.

Speaker: But you do see him sort of change from this very rigid, sort of unfriendly character to being accepting of who Buffy is.

Speaker: And he realizes that in order for them to work together, he sort of has to treat her like a human being.

Speaker: And it's just, yeah, you see a lot of his growth.

Speaker: You start to understand him as a person.

Speaker: This sort of stuffy facade starts to lift a little bit.

Speaker: Yeah, and I really like, as you said, he reacts and responds to Buffy.

Speaker: And he realises he has to change his approach to get the best out of his slayer.

Speaker: And then very quickly it becomes, it's not just the slayer that he's concerned by, it's Buffy that he's concerned by and...

Speaker: You know, is she is she OK in other regards?

Speaker: But I think, you know, he always remains very professional about it.

Speaker: And and I think, again, he cares for Buffy.

Speaker: But we say this so many times.

Speaker: I can't see him being her father figure.

Speaker: I don't.

Speaker: What do you think, Meredith?

Speaker: We've obviously not asked you this before, but I think he's got elements of that.

Speaker: But it's not just that.

Speaker: They're more like team members or something.

Speaker: Like, I don't see that dynamic.

Speaker: But he will, like, the scene in Prophecy Girl where he says, I'm going to go fight for you, is sort of a parental thing.

Speaker: Like, I'll just do it for you.

Speaker: It'll be fine.

Speaker: Like, don't worry about it.

Speaker: But you can't do that.

Speaker: You have to let your children fight their own battles.

Speaker: So in that scene, I can see it.

Speaker: But, like, I don't generally consider him her father's thing.

Speaker: But even her reaction is like, well, I mean, she knocks him out.

Speaker: So it's like, yeah.

Speaker: To me, it's like she doesn't see him that way either.

Speaker: So much to talk about.

Speaker: It's such a great dynamic.

Speaker: It's probably one of my favourite character dynamics, particularly season one.

Speaker: I think it really carries the

Speaker: the season, if I'm honest, you know, aside from the fact there's some fantastic supporting characters.

Speaker: But, yeah, you're right, actually, you know, there's elements where you think, oh, okay, we're creeping towards the father figure, you know, the parental figure.

Speaker: And then you think, oh, no.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's not happening.

Speaker: That's been literally knocked out for consideration.

Speaker: And then, you know, other elements, he's pushing her too hard with the training, for instance.

Speaker: And, you know, that's on a professional level.

Speaker: He wants to make sure that she's...

Speaker: physically capable you know she's trained etc and even you know in nightmares he actually says i didn't train you enough you know so it's yeah it's a really interesting uh character uh so i'm really glad he's your number two yes yeah maybe because their relationship's a bit ambiguous it makes it more interesting yes if he was just her father figure it wouldn't be

Speaker: Yeah, it would be a bit boring, I think.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And it would be very two-dimensional for particularly Giles.

Speaker: I think it would really, you know, the character wouldn't be able to progress as it does.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And he's positioned very well by the end of the season.

Speaker: where we have his opinion.

Speaker: He even says, I don't like the library very much anymore.

Speaker: And it's his first real time that he's actually, I think he's given an opinion.

Speaker: But what about yourself then, Sarah?

Speaker: Who is your number two?

Speaker: My number two is Buffy as well.

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's, it's hard to know what to say that hasn't been said because I agree with everything that you've said about her.

Speaker: I know I've said this a few, quite a few times, actually just about when I first saw the show and,

Speaker: And I always just remember my friend remarking on how she loved her because it showed that, and we were like young kids at the time.

Speaker: She said, it shows girls can fight too.

Speaker: That's what she took from it.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: And, you know, even Jenny remarks at one point, like when she finds out that Buffy is the slayer, she's like, she's so little.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But it's like, it's great that that's remarked upon, but yet she's got this super strength and everything.

Speaker: And you don't think it's ridiculous.

Speaker: You're able to sort of say, yeah, well, of course she does.

Speaker: You know, she's the slayer.

Speaker: Um,

Speaker: And just, yeah, the balance in season one of that with her doubts and her vulnerability and the reminders that she is a teenage girl who needs guidance.

Speaker: But at the same time, she has so much inner strength as well as outer strength and her decision making.

Speaker: And like, she really just puts Giles to shame a lot of the time with how quickly she gets to the conclusions that he hasn't.

Speaker: But yeah, she's great.

Speaker: And just...

Speaker: The Buffy banter.

Speaker: It's just pop notch.

Speaker: It's brilliant.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: That's, that's, I think that's something I've appreciated more.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: In most recent years, you know, and there's so much of it, you know, I missed so many, so many amazing lines that she comes up with.

Speaker: And my sister actually who loves the show as well, she just said to me recently, there's a lot of shows where the main character is not a lot of people's favourite character but she said I think this is probably one of the only shows where Buffy, like the main character is my favourite character so I thought that was interesting.

Speaker: Yes, yeah definitely.

Speaker: My number one

Speaker: is I don't think going to be a surprise.

Speaker: But my favourite character is Giles.

Speaker: I'm in shock.

Speaker: I mean, it's taken weeks of podcast recording and debate and discussion to just confirm what I knew to begin with.

Speaker: But yeah, my favorite character for season one, and again, as you said, Meredith, it's so difficult to comment and give a breakdown of

Speaker: Without thinking, oh, well, we know what happens later on.

Speaker: But yeah, I think for season one, Giles was brilliant.

Speaker: He was pivotal, as was Buffy.

Speaker: I think all of my top three, they're the ones, you know, if you cut all the others out, you would still have a story.

Speaker: And, you know, you'd have that main arc.

Speaker: So, you know, everything else is, and I don't want to belittle any of it because I love all of it, but it's just fluff.

Speaker: You know, it's just the nice, the exciting, the brilliant bit.

Speaker: But the main crux of season one is fluff.

Speaker: Buffy is the slayer, Giles is the watcher, and then there is the master who wants to free himself, and Buffy has to stop the master.

Speaker: And if you take out all of the other characters, you would probably have a very similar story.

Speaker: But I still think it's only Buffy that changes Giles.

Speaker: And does Buffy get changed by Giles?

Speaker: I think a little, but she's the one that brings all these other people in.

Speaker: And if you were to look at it in a physical level, it's the library.

Speaker: That's Giles' world, as it were.

Speaker: That's the Hellmouth.

Speaker: Directly underneath is the master.

Speaker: Buffy is drawn to there because it's the Hellmouth and other people come to her, you know, or she brings other people in.

Speaker: So Xander and Willow, etc.

Speaker: Giles would never choose to speak to Xander in any situation.

Speaker: um and um and he'd potentially he'd know of willow i i'd imagine well we already know that willow already knows him when when buffy starts but there's the the only reason why he's there is is is for buffy and they have such an integral part i think he's the driving force along with buffy and and the master so what about yourself meredith uh number one for me is buffy

Speaker: We've already talked about her quite a bit.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: No, talk more.

Speaker: It's fine.

Speaker: I agree with everything that you guys have said.

Speaker: I just, I like seeing who she was, especially in the first episode and how that just completely changes by the end.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And you also see putting all the Slayer stuff aside, what a good person she is.

Speaker: Like she'll stand up to bullies and go talk to Willow, even though Cordelia says don't talk to her.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: You just get a sense of who she is as a person.

Speaker: And yeah, and you see the changes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Agree with everything you guys have said.

Speaker: She's my favorite.

Speaker: She's not necessarily my favorite later on, but to me, this is.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: She's the one for me.

Speaker: Yeah, I agree.

Speaker: I think, and as you said, Sarah, well, your sister said, you know, there's not many shows where the lead is everyone's favorite.

Speaker: But, you know, I think the fact is that Buffy ranks at some point in our top three.

Speaker: It just goes to show how much, how successful the creators were in making this character play.

Speaker: the title character.

Speaker: Someone that you really care about.

Speaker: Yeah, someone that we admire, that we find funny.

Speaker: We think, wow, she's a good person or she makes the right decisions.

Speaker: And I think it's in Jaws, doesn't it?

Speaker: That character has still inspired and influenced people even now.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Who is your number one, Sarah?

Speaker: It was that random guy that walked down the corridor for five seconds.

Speaker: No, I'm going to sound not at all profound after all this discussion of the librarian.

Speaker: I've gone for Giles because he's gorgeous.

Speaker: End of podcast.

Speaker: There we go.

Speaker: Bye, everyone.

Speaker: Bye.

Speaker: I mean, there's no lie in that, but there's a bit more to it.

Speaker: Yeah, like I didn't really think about it this way until you said it, Meredith, but we don't, yeah, we don't actually know a lot about him at this point.

Speaker: Like it's easy to forget because obviously later on we find out more about what it means really to be a watcher and how you become a watcher and all the

Speaker: background around that but um we just get little insights here and there but yeah it's I like the way he he does go through a lot of change from beginning to the end of the season I just love the way his dynamic with Buffy develops um I mean they really they have a lot of banter anyway but it's just so much back and forth in welcome to the hellmouth

Speaker: They just don't understand each other at all.

Speaker: But it doesn't take that long for them to sort of to find some common ground and to actually like each other on a personal level.

Speaker: Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker: I could go on all day.

Speaker: And like we've covered so much anyway.

Speaker: And I'm trying to keep it to more than just, oh, isn't he lovely?

Speaker: But he is lovely as a character.

Speaker: You just he has there's so much warmth to him.

Speaker: We've done them all.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Gosh.

Speaker: Our nine, I say our nine favourite.

Speaker: It isn't nine.

Speaker: It's basically... Giles, Buffy and a lot of other people.

Speaker: But there's five out of the nine.

Speaker: There's five unique characters.

Speaker: So I think, well, it's difficult to say, but Giles is the top character based on the result.

Speaker: followed by Buffy.

Speaker: And then you have the monster, Willow and Jenny.

Speaker: So I don't know how we can even discuss that or decide that.

Speaker: So did you guys have any runners up?

Speaker: I like the master too, but we did talk about it.

Speaker: It's just, yeah, it's, I, none of the other big bads could be.

Speaker: Yeah, he's awesome, isn't he?

Speaker: It's just so good.

Speaker: So, so much fun.

Speaker: Cordelia.

Speaker: Oh, yeah.

Speaker: Oh, yeah.

Speaker: Yeah, just, I mean, yeah, just so funny.

Speaker: In season one.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Before we start to get that development.

Speaker: She's just, she brings a lot of light relief to a lot of scenes.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Actually, interesting, because we've all chosen different characters for our number three, shall we ask our opinions of the others?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: That might work.

Speaker: So, Merit, you've already mentioned the master, so you actually, you like the master.

Speaker: I do, yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: What do you think of the master, Sarah?

Speaker: Yeah, I think he's great.

Speaker: I mean, very funny, very intimidating at the same time.

Speaker: He's really quite unsettling, but I think there's a nice balance there.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah, he's a really memorable character.

Speaker: He's a great villain.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: And the makeup's amazing.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Meredith's like, hmm...

Speaker: You have fruit punch mouth.

Speaker: Now your number three Meredith was Willow.

Speaker: What do you think to Willow Sarah?

Speaker: I do.

Speaker: I really like Willow as a character early on in the series generally.

Speaker: Well, I thought she didn't have a whole lot to do until what you everything you were saying about her, though, was making me go, yeah, actually, you know.

Speaker: I do like, she had some great lines.

Speaker: She's very, she's very likable in season one.

Speaker: Generally.

Speaker: I just, I love some of her remarks about Cordelia and even just when she, when she'll roll her eyes, like in the background, um,

Speaker: I get frustrated at how, you know, I mean, obviously it's understandable as well that she's fixated on Xander, but at the same time, I like how it doesn't completely cloud her judgment.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: So yeah, I do like her in season one.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I, yeah, I like Willow in season one.

Speaker: I think, I think I only potentially like Willow in season one.

Speaker: I was going to ask you what this Willow hate was about.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I'm not a huge fan.

Speaker: I like Willow, but I've never been on the bandwagon for Willow being the favourite.

Speaker: When I was growing up, Xander was my favourite.

Speaker: I really liked, of the two, I preferred Xander because he was funny.

Speaker: So it was a bit of a class clown, which I related to.

Speaker: I was very much like that.

Speaker: So someone like Buffy would have intimidated me.

Speaker: And I think you needed to be like Willow to get on with Buffy, you know, or you needed to be in trouble for Buffy to come to you, which could have happened.

Speaker: But yeah, I have always struggled with the character of Willow.

Speaker: I don't know.

Speaker: I just I'm I suppose I'm a bit distrusting.

Speaker: I just don't believe anyone could be that nice.

Speaker: without something some shit going like underneath the surface and I'm a good judge of character because as we know shit happens and yeah and I saw it from the off I was like no no

Speaker: Not sure about that one.

Speaker: Again, brilliant character.

Speaker: Really, really, you know, fantastic, fascinating person or character to discuss.

Speaker: But yeah, not my favourite character at all, actually, throughout the series.

Speaker: But I like her the most in season one when we don't actually see her that much.

Speaker: This is awful.

Speaker: Sorry.

Speaker: Sorry, Alison Hannigan.

Speaker: And Jenny.

Speaker: Jenny.

Speaker: So number three was Jenny for you, then Sarah.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So, well, I won't... We know how you feel about Jenny.

Speaker: How do you feel about Jenny, Meredith?

Speaker: I like her.

Speaker: I like her dynamic with Giles.

Speaker: And like you say, I do like that she treats the Scoobies as equals.

Speaker: Some of her lines, I think it's not the actress, it's just the way it's written, are just a little, like...

Speaker: techno pagan is the term like sort of makes me sick and roll it does it's painful isn't it like i think um she's a great character i love you know again without talking about it too much what happens further down the road and it's fun to look back at season one knowing what you know happens and you can see yes and all that so yeah i do love jenny yeah i love she's perfect match for giles in

Speaker: Definitely.

Speaker: And me.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: I need to break it to my husband.

Speaker: So I did say that in the last episode that it was just the Jenny Calendar appreciation episode.

Speaker: So I said, if you listen to this, to my husband, there's something I have to tell you.

Speaker: He's like, oh, OK.

Speaker: Interesting.

Speaker: Interesting.

Speaker: But then he was like, yeah, she's all right.

Speaker: I've got a few honorable mentions of characters.

Speaker: So I've mentioned Xander, but I also really like Amy.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yep.

Speaker: I thought she was brilliant.

Speaker: And I just love the fact that they do this throughout the show where they go, she was really good or he was really good, you know, or let's get the same guy walking past.

Speaker: Let's get the same guy, you know, queuing next to them for the cafeteria and stuff.

Speaker: It's, I love that element about the show.

Speaker: And I think Amy was, was a fantastic sort of guest character that they develop.

Speaker: And she had a lot of depth to her as well.

Speaker: You know, they had a huge backstory.

Speaker: I mean, we knew more about Amy than we did about Buffy.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But by this point, you know, her family situation.

Speaker: So any other mentions like that for you guys?

Speaker: Well, Amy's mother was great too.

Speaker: Oh, yeah.

Speaker: That was, I mean, we've talked about that, just how well they played each other's roles.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I still get confused.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: teachers actually Dr Gregory who you know very short lived but such an impact yes Principal Flutie and Snyder in his own way as well I find him so creepy but my god he's so good he's yeah he's great and then Joyce as well yes Joyce yeah deserves a mention she does yeah it's fantastic brilliant cast

Speaker: And we get to do this all again.

Speaker: With more stories.

Speaker: So what do we have in store for season two?

Speaker: 22 episodes.

Speaker: We have 22 episodes.

Speaker: And we can also confirm that we will also have 22 original pieces of artwork.

Speaker: Maybe more.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: potentially watercolors by Meredith unless you decide that you want to do a different medium so pieces of art by Meredith we'll keep it vague um and um thank you again for for continuing on this beautiful journey with us oh yeah no it's been great it's great happy to be here

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Thank you so much for joining us for this episode.

Speaker: Thank you.

Speaker: It was really fun.

Speaker: Good.

Speaker: It has been.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's been a delight.

Speaker: So thank you so much.

Speaker: And thank you to all of you for listening to every episode and for joining us as well.

Speaker: So if you, if you've been waiting for the entire season, it's ready.

Speaker: You can, you can binge listen.

Speaker: If you want to, you can follow us online.

Speaker: And we'd love to hear your opinions, you know, your favorite characters, your favorite scenes, some of the best lines that, you know, you just can't get out of your head.

Speaker: And of course, you know, your best episodes.

Speaker: Did we get it completely wrong?

Speaker: Well, we got it right for us anyway.

Speaker: In the end, yeah.

Speaker: We did well to actually settle on something.

Speaker: I think that was an achievement to know.

Speaker: Now we will be taking a short break between season one and season two.

Speaker: But what have we got in between, Sarah?

Speaker: Yeah, we'll have a very special standalone episode, which we hope you'll enjoy.

Speaker: We're sure you'll enjoy it.

Speaker: So we've talked about fan art in this episode and we will be talking about fan fiction, Buffy fan fiction and just, well, fan fiction in general, really, with another guest, Skyson, who some of you may be familiar with.

Speaker: She writes fantastic Buffy fan fic.

Speaker: So very excited for everybody to hear that one.

Speaker: Yeah, that was a really, really fun episode to record and really interesting, like really, really fascinating to go into sort of the, well, you know what I'm like.

Speaker: sort of researched the history of fan fiction and went back to Jane Austen and all the rest of it.

Speaker: So yeah, there's so much that we cover in that.

Speaker: So it's not just, you know, specific stories as such, but we also chat to Skyson about how she started writing and how it's helped her as an individual and, you know, as a creative person.

Speaker: So, and it's actually, it's lovely to hear,

Speaker: the parallels actually with yourself, Meredith, where you said, you know, it's helped me, you know, it's, I've come back to it and, and, and Skysen has very much sort of said the same and she started in a different fandom as well.

Speaker: So, you know, she's a very prolific writer as you are an artist.

Speaker: So yeah, it's, it's been a huge pleasure to, to chat to yourself and Skysen to discuss, you know, the wider fandom.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And the creativity within it.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: You know, there's some really fantastic, you're all so creative in this fandom, aren't we?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: All the mediums.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: You know, it's, I mean, we'd love to, to chat to more of you.

Speaker: So hopefully you enjoy that standalone episode that's coming up between season one and season two of our podcast.

Speaker: But yeah, so please do listen in and,

Speaker: watch out for season two.

Speaker: It is coming.

Speaker: We'll be back before you know it.

Speaker: We will.

Speaker: And you can always get in touch with us on social media as well.

Speaker: So we are on X slash Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, previously on Buffy.

Speaker: Until next time, thank you again.

Speaker: Thanks for listening.

Speaker: Next time on previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Speaker: There are some fanfiction stories that I've read that still stick with me.

Speaker: They're just so good.

Speaker: And they will just drop this incredibly deep, meaningful line.

Speaker: And so it's people just doing this because it's their hobby, because they get joy out of it, because...

Speaker: They're so pissed off at what happened, they need to fix it.

Speaker: That is pretty cool to think that as much as canon inspires us, that some of us have inspired other people.

Speaker: As a creative person in the creative world, I love that.

Speaker: Thanks for listening to Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Speaker: You can follow us on X, Instagram, or TikTok.

Speaker: Just search Previously on Buffy.

Speaker: Don't forget to subscribe to us on your favorite podcast directory so you never miss an episode.