Buffy - Earshot S3 E18 - Full Reaction
Added 2023-09-04 20:40:18 +0000 UTCI love this episode! The ending was PURE GOLD and a few of our questions have been answered now about that one time with the band candy....
I hope everyone had a nice weekend!!
Youtube Edit: https://youtu.be/E__Ej0SW97o
Spoilers for the episode below!
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Being able to hear people's thoughts sounds awesome, but it would be a party trick that I wouldn't like to have. Thoughts are often really stupid. REALLY stupid. And you also might hear something that upsets you! I think it's just better off if we don't know what others are thinking...
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Comments
Yeah, it never made sense to me either. I wish Buffy had asked about it and maybe Jonathon could have said something about it being the only gun he access to. I agree, it's just too forced.
Melanie
2024-01-30 01:05:19 +0000 UTCIn general, the 'school shootings' prior to Columbine tended to be more of personal/emotional events involving only a couple of individuals (not unlike what was depicted in "I Only Have Eyes for You") rather the mass shootings since then. They would seldom make national headlines.
David Schmidt
2023-09-08 23:18:40 +0000 UTCThat quote has stuck with me since I first heard it. "Every single person down there is ignoring your pain because they're too busy with their own." Realising this is a big step, especially for teenagers.
zerofk
2023-09-05 20:38:38 +0000 UTCGaveUp, I was referring to the "second" Satanic Panic, that happened in the early nineties. Before Columbine (I only compared it because Columbine likewise caused a moral panic, full of misinformation). This Satanic Panic was essentially a revival of the one in the 1980s, led by the same people, including the same crazy lady from "Mothers Against Dungeons and Dragons" (MADD), who believed that playing D&D was recruitment for satanic cults, and the "evil influence" had caused the suicide of her son (it didn't; he actually described playing as one of the few bright points in his life). The local police bought into this BS, and came to our school, talking to the kids and distributing flyers made by MADD that claimed to show "Satanic symbols", but included Jewish symbols as well, like the Star of David. I kid you not. The panic had flared up again when she got to go on Oprah and some other shows, and her views went completely unchallenged.. Thankfully, a respected academic researcher threw cold water on all of this, and people listened. He demonstrated that she and her cohorts were essentially just making things up that never actually happened. He could find no evidence whatsoever for anything that she was claiming. FYI, I'm almost positive that the first school shootings were in the 1970s, and a little less sure in saying that there were two of them. And then no more until the 1990s, with two(?) that preceded Columbine (which I believe is what they're referring to in this episode by saying it's "bordering on trendy at this point"). But I'm not positive about the accuracy of that last statement, without looking it up. Sad that we've had to live with 50+ years of it though, regardless.
Will Sofer
2023-09-05 20:35:05 +0000 UTCThe original satanic panic dates back to the 80s and dungeons and dragons (the setting to stranger things). The whole Columbine situation wasn’t so much labeled as a satanic panic, but there was a parallel panic against shock rock at the time (pretty easy to find a Donahue interview with Manson and Steele from a few years prior on YT). The attack on goths or people wearing black was definitely a thing, though. It was a weird time to be on the “fringe of society,” for lack of a better way to put it. In terms of sad facts people often think the school shootings are a relatively recent phenomena going back to the 80s or 90s, but in the US it goes back way further... without looking it up I want to say it goes back to the 40s or 50s. I can’t think of many things covering it that predate this episode either but I have to imagine there’s something. Jeremy comes to mind at least as far as gun violence, but there’s gotta be something else.
GaveUp
2023-09-05 09:46:48 +0000 UTCYeah going to the tower with a rifle seems too forced of a misdirect. But one possible explanation for the rifle could be that's the only gun his parents had for hunting.
Jonathan Hall
2023-09-05 04:31:57 +0000 UTCDAMN.... I've not heard of Satanic Panic, but maybe I just am not familiar with the name! I do vaguely recall that people would be wary of people in black whereas today, people are way more accepting of others and what they wear. I love that Buffy tackles real and serious issues such as suicide. The school shooting storyline makes me feel sad 😥
Juliette Gaming
2023-09-05 04:11:11 +0000 UTCWell.... I gotta say... can you blame Joyce for doing what she did 😜Giles is the most eligible bachelor in Sunnydale, after all! I definitely wouldn't want to hear what others think. Some things you just shouldn't hear... Plus, thoughts are dumb! In fact, sometimes I spend some time just sitting and marvelling how incredible brains are. They store so much stuff in there. And yet, we can still sit there and have the most stupid thoughts about a cat with socks on, playing the saxophone. Wait, is that just me?
Juliette Gaming
2023-09-05 04:07:29 +0000 UTCThank you so much, Abi 💜 I think Buffy relayed such an important message to Jonathan and what she said is SO true. As a teenager, often some can be so self-absorbed that they don't notice anyone else's problems or flaws as they are too busy noticing their own. And it's not just teenagers, it's adults, too! No one else is noticing our flaws, and if they do, it doesn't matter. They'd barely even think anything of it and then never think of it again! It's something that I've noticed with myself the older I get that I care way less than when I used to when younger. Buffy is right - and I really hope it helped Jonathan. He's been the butt of jokes over his high school years and I hope we see him again somewhere, somehow, and he ends up doing okay for himself 🥰
Juliette Gaming
2023-09-05 04:04:49 +0000 UTCIt is just so sad... I hear about school shootings in America on the news and I just wish something could be done about it 😥
Juliette Gaming
2023-09-05 03:58:05 +0000 UTCThat is just so sad... It was a bit uncomfortable to have a shooting written into the storyline, and I love that they delayed this episode by quite a bit. It seems like it would have been a bit out of order, but I'm sure people would have understood why 😥
Juliette Gaming
2023-09-05 03:57:13 +0000 UTC"Fun Facts" (not really fun): I was in junior high (years 7-8) when Columbine happened, and when this episode later aired. Parents and educators experienced a bit of a moral panic in America, and we students who dared to dress in black, wear long coats, or even wear shirts with band names on them were questioned, and threatened, unless we told them we were part of the "Trenchcoat Mafia" (the name the killers at Columbine called themselves, and barely anyone else did; my principal (headmaster) seemed to think this was some sort of international gang). Would be more traumatic if it wasn't for an earlier moral panic that I experienced living in America when I was younger, the "Satanic Panic". Worth looking up. It affected Australia too. Buffy eventually airing this episode had a real, and noticeable effect of chilling everyone out, and not harassing innocent kids as much. This episode was the first network television, as far as I know, that addressed school shooting and teen suicide.
Will Sofer
2023-09-04 22:07:27 +0000 UTCBeing able to hear other people's thoughts would be both a gift and a curse. Yeah, you would be able to tell who is genuine, but you'd also hear so much horrible stuff as well. I think I'd have to pass on that particular talent. Best part of this episode is surely Buffy finding out about Joyce & Giles hooking up! "You had sex with Giles?... On the hood of a police car?... TWICE!?" 🤣
Neil Hanson
2023-09-04 21:44:57 +0000 UTCSuch a great episode. One that, when it was due to air back in 1999 , the Columbine High School massacre happened just a week beforehand. So this episode wasn't shown, at least in the US, until much later on. During season 4 of Buffy. I remember seeing it in the UK, I think. It was a long time ago now. But I do think the overall message is positive. It was important for Buffy to speak to someone like Jonathan and make him realise that there's a reason people are ignoring him, because they're so busy thinking about themselves. It might not be a positive thing, but it is often a high school way of thinking. Of course Jonathan was a red herring in the end. But it was an important lesson nonetheless. Side note, Larry being out and his grandmother setting him up is so great and I love it. Have a great week, Juliette!
SweetSummit
2023-09-04 21:22:42 +0000 UTCOne week before this episode was supposed to air, The Columbine High School massacre occurred, so they delayed it for quite some time and showed a rerun instead. It was the worst school shooting in American history that sadly is no longer the case. America loves our guns. grr. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to put this episode in historical context.
Leenis
2023-09-04 21:21:44 +0000 UTCSpeaking of the live viewing experience... I'm always kinda envious of reactors, because they get to see this episode here, when it was intended to be seen. We didn't. By pure and unfortunate coincidence, this episode was originally scheduled to air exactly one week after the Columbine High School massacre. Understandably, out of sympathy for the families of the victims and a desire not to be seen to be exploiting the tragedy, that broadcast was pre-empted, and a rerun was hastily plugged in its place. This episode ultimately would not air until September, two weeks before the Season 4 premiere.
AlyAdmirer
2023-09-04 21:19:27 +0000 UTC
