Buffy 7x5 Selfless
Added 2025-01-10 20:00:09 +0000 UTCOOH yay, an Anya episode! I really, really liked this one. SO many surprises and it was such a treat to see Anya throughout some different times in her long life. I'd never have guessed she'd become such a prominent character but I'm glad she has. I really do like her. I sort of forget how I felt about her in the earlier episodes, but I think I was mostly indifferent back in the old days! She's definitely come such a long way.
I want to ask about the bunnies though.... Is it ever explained why she developed a fear of them? If so, I'll wait. If not, can we speculate? Is it because maybe they remind her of her old life? Or maybe they multiply too much 🤣
Youtube edit: https://youtu.be/p_NWX_W1-Tw
Comments
Love the Halfrek twist. To kill off a minor character surprisingly on-screen and have it actually have weight and mean something is why this show is so brilliant.
Dusty
2025-01-20 23:59:33 +0000 UTCSO many amazing moments in this episode! The highlight for me was Xander's lie, finally spoken about SO LONG AFTER! That was just so incredible. HUH! So that's what the Lloyd line means? I didn't know! That is so cool! I truly did not even consider Halfrek would be involved, and it is so sad to lose her as I know how much this would hurt Anya. Wow. GREAT episode!
Juliette Gaming
2025-01-12 21:21:25 +0000 UTCEmma Caulfield (Anya) and Abraham Benrubi (Olaf) talk Swedish at the flashback. Although they got all the vowels wrong they really did an amazing job..
Jontor11
2025-01-12 07:24:38 +0000 UTCThis is one of my favorite episodes from this season. RIP Halfrek. :(
Britney
2025-01-11 22:04:06 +0000 UTCI adore this episode. This is one of the top tier episodes in all of Buffy for me. There is so much wonderful stuff here: (In no particular order) Finding out that Anya has always been the way she is, and it was never about her as a demon learning to be human. Seeing Anya first become a vengeance demon. Anya being shown embracing communism as easily as she embraced capitalism, further highlighting that she really has just clung from one thing to the next with no real sense of her own self . Xander's secret re 'Kick is arse' finally being revealed (although it's still never dealt with) The flash of Dark Willow and then Willow being the first one to go to Anya and try to help her. Buffy's line, "I am the law". Faith in the episode of Consequences says something very similar, "We don't need the law, we are the law". It's a wonderful bookend scene, because it partly shows that Buffy has finally begun to accept and embrace her shadow self (which was previously represented by faith). D'Hoffryn's "Who did you think you were dealing with?" We've always seen D'Hoffryn as the affable, wise cracking demon; with that sudden heel turn pivot we see just how dangerous and ruthless he really is. D'Hoffryn telling Buffy, "Hold him back Slayer", and Buffy not only obeying him, but lowering her eyes briefly. Further indicating just how much of a threat D'Hoffryn is, and how he's not someone you just go up against it. And one of the piece de resistance of the episode, "Lloyd has a sketch of it on his wall". I'm not sure if this has ever been officially confirmed, but Iif you go back and watch the scene from season 6 when Spike first enters the Scorpion demon's cave, there is a sketch drawing on one of the walls of a guy with his mouth sewn shut (just like Dark Willow dd to Warren). The inference of course is that there's a Scorpion demon poweful enough to grant a soul to a Vampire, and his name is Lloyd. LOL
Claire Eyles
2025-01-11 10:20:42 +0000 UTCyeah this is an interesting one. i always love when we get backstory or flashbacks.
Ashley Thomas
2025-01-11 00:58:14 +0000 UTCI'm impressed that you remembered about the pendant, and it's funny that it's not mentioned in this episode. I guess it does make sense that nobody knew about the pendant, because the only person who worked that out in Season 3 was Giles, and that was the alternate dimension Giles. So as soon as he smashed the pendant, that reality ended and nobody remembered anything. In season 6 Anya does mention trying to get Hallie's pendant but they are unsuccessful and it's understandable that Buffy and the others might not remember that. It's possible that Anya simply doesn't have a pendant this time. After what happened last time she may not be trusted with one.
S R
2025-01-10 23:05:43 +0000 UTCAh... character development.... I love it. And suddenly Xander leaving Anya at the altar makes sense (from a storytelling perspective). As for the bunnies: I thought this was because it's Olav's infidelity that pushed her over the brink, and he himself made the connection of their breeding and his desire.
Oliver
2025-01-10 22:58:45 +0000 UTCBuffy was probably hoping to convince Anya that she wasn't afraid to hurt her and that Anya would show remorse so that she had a reason to spare her, but Buffy wasn't counting on Anya not wanting to be spared.
Lime Pie
2025-01-10 21:42:00 +0000 UTCLOVE the pun 🤣
Juliette Gaming
2025-01-10 21:18:22 +0000 UTCOooh GREAT thoughts about why Buffy did that. But then I wonder, what was Buffy hoping to achieve from that move? Was it just to buy some time? I truly hope Anya finds her way in life 💜 (jn her now very short, mortal life)
Juliette Gaming
2025-01-10 21:18:05 +0000 UTCIt absolutely makes sense!!
Juliette Gaming
2025-01-10 21:16:26 +0000 UTCThey’ve got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses. And what’s with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for, anyway?
Aurro Eronaile
2025-01-10 21:09:31 +0000 UTCI have a theory, it might be bunnies… represent her human days with Olaf when she was a kind-hearted and innocent girl that was happy and cuddled bunnies and hadn’t been cheated on etc. And thinking about her past self hurts and is scary, and all of that is somehow transferred to the bunnies she used to cuddle.
borednow
2025-01-10 21:05:04 +0000 UTCIn my mind, Buffy did remember that vengeance demons can't be killed by a sword through the chest. She was just going easy on her because she didn't want to have to kill Anya. Also, funny historical sidebar, Aud was the name of real Viking queen that married a man named Olaf and was apparently quite good with money (this is from the commentary of this episode). The bunnies are an example of a big theme in this episode, that identities are fluid and change over time. When she was Aud, she liked bunnies, but now she is scared of them for whatever reason. When she was Anyanka, she supported communism, but now she is a firm capitalist. When she was with Xander, she dedicated her life to being with him, but now she has to find out who she is without him.
Lime Pie
2025-01-10 21:02:01 +0000 UTCThey never do explain the bunny fear more than this, so speculate away! I thought it was because they yeah, reminded her of a happy time, but for that to become fear is a little Aud 😀
ClaryTehSage
2025-01-10 20:44:52 +0000 UTC
