Season 2, Ep 11
Added 2021-08-17 16:05:50 +0000 UTCugh, ted... 🙄
Comments
I believe this is a retelling of the Blue Beard folktale, mixed with a little 90's techno-angst. Here's the story, if anyone's interested https://americanliterature.com/author/charles-perrault/fairy-tale/the-story-of-blue-beard
RNR
2024-05-01 20:44:33 +0000 UTChey jordan!! so sorry for the late reply, just catching up on old comments now :D so first i wanna say hi - welcome - hope you're enjoying! this is interesting that it's one of your faves, i haven't heard that really about this episode but i agree, i never saw this coming. and this show is really good at throwing curveballs so i was like.. is this happening? is she going to go to jail like are we doing a jail plot?! it felt very possible and i thought that was really interesting (but also super anxiety inducing lol) very good point about joyce, i didnt really get that she was drugged first. and i agree its common for parents to react that way, unfortunately. i really love your analysis on buffy and her thoughts throughout this. no such thing as nit picky details in my opinion, its all there for a reason! and yes, i really am enjoying this show so much and people say it only gets better lol so im excited for the ride! hope you enjoyed the next episode!! :)
darciesnothere
2021-09-07 15:08:50 +0000 UTCGreat reaction. This one is always so surprising. How they make you think Buffy actually murdered someone. Nobody sees that coming. Personally, this is one of my all time favorite episodes. Not for the episode itself, but for the underlying themes an the ramifications it has on the show. I should point out first though, that I think Joyce got shafted this episode. The writers flubbed her motive for not listening to Buffy. I think the problem is, that the reality is a lot of parents tend to dismiss claims of abuse children bring up about those the parent is dating. It's unfortunately common and thus too easily applied to Joyce here. It was supposed to be more obvious that it was the drugged food Ted had been feeding her that made her believe Ted over Buffy, but that didn't come across very well when it came to Joyce I find. Something I did like about this episode was the exploration of one of Buffy's less well used abilities. Back in the very first episode, Giles mentioned how Buffy has the ability to sense evil around her. He said she should just be able to feel the vampires in a crowded room and know where they are. She dismissed that and instead used her knowledge of fashion to pick out the vampire seducing Willow. That ability has been left on the shelf mostly through the show, as she never really seems to exorcise it much. Here though, we can see that it pops up. She never liked or trusted Ted. She instinctively avoided his food completely. She couldn't stand to be near him. Also, even when the whole world around her claimed everything was normal, she knew it wasn't. The story tries to get us to think her hesitation to liking Ted is because Buffy doesn't like him dating her mom and changing the rules on her, but in the end we realize that it was Buffy's slayer sense that detected he wasn't human the whole time. She just hasn't learned to trust it or to have confidence in what it's telling her. Also, Buffy felt like she lost control when she beat up Ted, but it could have been her sense kicking in to make her defend herself as it knew he wasn't human. The part I really like though, is the exploration of what it means to be a slayer when it comes to humans. Buffy's whole purpose as the slayer is to kill evil things. This was brought up earlier in Lie to Me. Here it is more explicitly explored with respects to humans. Buffy's slayer sense may have known Ted wasn't a human, but she didn't. We can see here, that humans are outside the realm of the Slayer's authority. He struck first, but Buffy said she didn't have the right. to striking him back, as a human man is more like a little child against her strength. Then, she was given the choice by her mother to avoid taking responsibility. Her mom told the cops he fell down the stairs. Buffy knew though, a slayer couldn't take killing a man lightly, and so chose to turn herself into the police. I know it may seem like nit picky details, but it's these decisions and explorations of minutiae that lays the foundation for future character development and action in the Buffy universe. I'm a big fan of character development and the use of psychology to inform actions. This show does this sort of thing in abundance, and personally, I think that's what has made it such a great show. So many shows have characters, and in one episode something will happen, but in the next, the character seems to reset, as the previous actions don't seem to have a lasting effect. Here, they do. Buffy dies in the season 1 finale. The next episode she's coming apart at the seems with PTSD. Even further on down the road, that death still seems to inform her actions. Such a great show. Anyways, on to the next episode.
Jordan Haddow
2021-09-01 07:51:58 +0000 UTCSorry somehow missed this comment!! i like that it seems every "bad" or less liked episode there is always someone who comments they enjoyed it! thats the cool thing about buffy, something for everyone and everyone watches differently! and thank you so much!! its a little nerve wracking but very exciting!
darciesnothere
2021-08-22 17:21:10 +0000 UTCWe had the ceramic flying roosters on our lounge room wall, along with one of those 1950's wooden star clocks. The entire house I grew up in was like a time capsule of various decades - late 1940s lounge room, 1950s kitchen, 1960's laundry, 1970's bedrooms, etc.
Claire Eyles
2021-08-19 23:24:36 +0000 UTCWell...lol
Chas Summers
2021-08-19 01:54:53 +0000 UTCIt's funny, I actually enjoy this episode (at least compared to other "monster of the week" episodes). I think maybe because we see Buffy and Joyce's relationship a bit more. That car ride after Ted died was so sad. Like you said, if your daughter killed your boyfriend, what do you even do or feel? I love when Cordy says "And that carpet doesn't match the rest of the decor!" Also I'm seeing your patron numbers go up quickly, congrats!! Well deserved :D
Svetlana Grabar
2021-08-19 01:22:34 +0000 UTCthis is super cool!! and yes of course can't wait for next week!
darciesnothere
2021-08-18 19:25:45 +0000 UTCohhh never thought of the layout of the room! interesting!!
darciesnothere
2021-08-18 19:25:22 +0000 UTCLOLOLOL oooh the interesting tidbits you always bring!!! this is too funny to think of
darciesnothere
2021-08-18 19:25:03 +0000 UTCLOLOL hundreds of years older if a tad much yup! hahaha i can agree this was an okay scene for them, i just have such a hard time feeling like theyre in love it happened so fast. i wish convos like this had happened PRIOR to the whole i love you stuff ya know?! but im glad he didnt dismiss her concerns totally, good stuff for angel :)
darciesnothere
2021-08-18 19:24:18 +0000 UTCyeah i think that i have this in the back of my head that joyce doesnt necessarily listen to buffy often... maybe cause of past convos? still i WILL admit i should have been a bit nicer to her here LOL even though youre right about the willow eating cookies too thing!
darciesnothere
2021-08-18 19:22:19 +0000 UTCwhen i was editing i caught the "im not wired that way" and had a little giggle! i love the cast iron skillet i just watched Tangled too and her weapon of choice was a cast iron skillet.... maybe she took some inspiration from here lol.
darciesnothere
2021-08-18 19:20:22 +0000 UTCRIGHT?! and like i get that step-parents are great and loving etc but dude.... she just met you and you aren't married to her mom yet so like back off! LOL
darciesnothere
2021-08-18 19:19:19 +0000 UTCwhaaaat i never noticed this! might be the only reason for a re-watch on this one!
darciesnothere
2021-08-18 19:18:10 +0000 UTCAnd I just remembered Ted Knight as Ted Baxter on "Mary Tyler Moore". A double-barreled Ted…but harmless.
Jessica Roth
2021-08-18 12:26:21 +0000 UTCOn a personal note, the mini-golf course is Castle Park in Sherman Oaks CA; it's less that two miles from where I was living in 1997. I used to walk past it all the time. And, I'm ashamed to say, we actually had that "tower lamp" from Ted's bunker in our house when I was growing up. (The one with the three bulbs on the pole.) No stuffed ducks on the wall though, thank heavens. Thanks for another great reaction! See you next week!
Jessica Roth
2021-08-18 05:48:25 +0000 UTCOld buddy Bruce Seth Green does a great job directing. but…when Ted surprises Buffy by not being dead after all, how does he enter Buffy's room from (her) right? There's nothing in that direction but her night table; no closet to hide in, no door to open. (The other way, he could have been in Joyce's room or the bathroom and followed her in, but not like this.) Was he hiding under Buffy's bed and slid out? Seems unlikely. Huh.
Jessica Roth
2021-08-18 05:45:30 +0000 UTCThe script describes Ted as "handsome and athletic". Now obviously, if you can get John Ritter, you take John Ritter…but it is an interesting body choice for building your permanent immortal image, I'd say. However, someone with a dirtier mind than I (yes, that IS possible! Shut up!) pointed out that perhaps Ted's "ideal body" referred to, uh, other parts. Yow! Train kept rollin' all night long! Nobody beats the machine! No wonder Joyce can barely think straight… Speaking of which, do we think Giles and Jenny finally managed to…squirm, or did his injury limit them to just kissing? We now know that it's been 20 years since he's seen Ethan (or Deirdre, if you're more conventionally-minded)…a Watcher's got needs, you know! Just saying.
Jessica Roth
2021-08-18 05:40:04 +0000 UTCI love the Angel/Buffy scene; this is the sort of mature conversation (instead "Kiss me!" "I can't!" angst) they need more of. Angel does a good job of listening and then gently guiding Buffy to explore her deeper issues. (Remember, it was Greenwalt who showed us that Buffy blames herself for the divorce, in the Nightmares episode.) One could even argue this shows the benefits of an older, more mature boyfriend. (Although the "hundreds of years older" and "battling to control a murderous demon" parts do make Angel a BIT more complicated, lol.) But I just noticed that when we first cut to the scene, Angel is looking off to the side and David is wearing a "KILL ME NOW" face. Buffy must have been going on forever, lmao.
Jessica Roth
2021-08-18 05:34:37 +0000 UTCI guess Joyce wasn't kidding in "Prophecy Girl" when she griped about Buffy not eating; here we have a plot that turns on Buffy eating literally NOTHING, lol. To be fair, a podcaster I listened to noted that not only is Ted's food drugged, but Buffy still has to fit into her Size 0 outfits and Ted's making some fattening stuff. "Fried pizza"? My cholesterol spikes just typing the words. Not to mention the sticky buns. The question is, should Joyce be better in listening to Buffy? I've seen some people really rip her over her automatically taking Ted's side. But IMO, she deserves a lot of points for being ready to cover for Buffy with the cops, before Buffy confesses on her own. And of course, she is eating Ted's drugs full-time. But, I don't know…Willow is literally scarfing down a cookie when Buffy asks her to investigate Ted, and she's instantly helpful. Of course that could just be Willow being a really awesome friend. :) (Or food [pardon the pun] for my "Buffy and Willow should totally date!" argument, but that's a bit OT.)
Jessica Roth
2021-08-18 05:26:40 +0000 UTCI love that Whedon and Greenwalt not only put in clues to Ted being a robot ("I'm not wired that way" "Nobody beats the machine") but also multiple examples of the Chekhov's Gun. (An object that appears early on and becomes significant to the plot later on.) You have the photo of Buffy and Joyce that ends up on Ted's desk, and the cast-iron skillet itself. (Note that they specifically mention it's cast-iron; an ordinary aluminum-blend pan might not do that much damage.) And of course, when inviting the kids to play golf, Ted talks about "swinging the iron". Well, Buffy swung that iron all right, chump. (Ironic that David Greenwalt has BUFFY using a range-extending weapon when ever since his bit with Buffy mocking the quarter-staff in "Angel", he's had Buffy fighting people with long-range weapons. [The Ugly Man's club, Spike's beam, Tom Warner's sword.] Ted's the first baddie Greenwalt had her go against who only used fists since Natalie French tried to bite her. [Even Darla brought guns].)
Jessica Roth
2021-08-18 05:12:00 +0000 UTCI must say, aside from Cordy's brown outfit with the yellow skirt, I also love Giles's new suit here. (Perhaps he took Cal asking him [before their monster trucks date] if he had anything else to heart?) A pity Jenny wrecks it by shooting him with the crossbow. But still, good job Cynthia Bergstrom. (I also like Buffy's leopard top and Overalls of Sadness, but those are themes we've seen before.) Yeah, I'm with you; the moment I'm done with Ted is before he starts actually threatening her…it's the "what we teach her" line. Excuse me, Ted…YOU don't get to teach her anything. You're not her parent. Back off.
Jessica Roth
2021-08-18 04:59:37 +0000 UTCI think someone else had already explained the Stepford Wives reference, but notice in this episode that the more Joyce gets sucked in by Ted, the more her hairstyle starts to date back to the 1950s.
Claire Eyles
2021-08-18 02:28:44 +0000 UTCInteresting how both Ted actors are dead, John Ritter died of an aortic dissection, Phil Hartman was murdered. Maybe the lesson should be don't play characters named Ted, Ted's are bad.
Claire Eyles
2021-08-18 02:19:54 +0000 UTCMy main man! Yes he was. :)
Sika6061
2021-08-18 02:04:17 +0000 UTCWhen I think of the name Ted, I think of Ted Lange who played Isaac the Bartender on The Love Boat. (Another 70's pop culture icon). Now he was a cool Ted.
Melissa
2021-08-17 23:36:46 +0000 UTC
