Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 4x22 "Restless" FULL REACTION

You should do a rewatch of this one now that you're finished the series. You'd understand so much more, and it would be fun to see how many things you pick up on now that you've seen a lot of what was hinted here play out. Not a drunk rewatch, but a sober one, so we can see what you see now knowing where it's all going.

Raven Dark

"Xander and Willow Try not to bleed on my couch. I've just had it steam cleaned." One of my favourite lines in any song ever.

UTU49

This episode naturally leads to a flow of comments pointing out hidden clues which is 🤷. But in the spirit of things I'll just add: ◘ it's revealed the source of Buffy's power is Korean mud masks ◘ all of Giles's furniture gets repo'd ◘ "coffee makers that think" Riley spells out the big twist in S6 ◘ "A watcher scoffs at gravity" foreshadows that Giles can levitate ◘ And the cheese guy is the big bad of S5 when Buffy discovers she's lactose intolerant.

Pate

"A watcher scoffs at gravity."

David Boyd

After watching the series, I hope you come back to this episode and re-analyze it! <3 Thanks for another great reaction!

Stephen Mintac

"You never had a watcher...." *Giles' head gets sliced* Still gives me goosebumps every time I watch that part. It brings back memories when I first watched the episode and I was trying to understand who that creature was... then it finally clicked and I was like... OMG...

Stephen Mintac

Some of Chris Beck's best work in this episode. Really amazing, moving, dreamy, and emotional score.

Jarrod Wild

My guess is that since the first slayer was present at the start of the patriarchal system (metaphorically speaking), she was probably trained to not speak. Working alone, she would not have had much need for speaking anyway. Based on what she eventually says and how similar Kendra's training had been several thousand years later, the first slayer's life seems to have consisted of: 1-hunt demon, 2-kill demon, 3-repeat until dead.

Bruce Trogdon

I was days before my 16th birthday when this episode aired and in a colossal mistake, my girlfriend at the time who got me into this show decided to surprise me with some weed. It was probably both of our only second or third time ever getting high. And you can only imagine how bad this episode fucked our minds. Thank goodness, she taped the episode on her VCR so we were able to pause it. But my god...This episode fucked our heads up so much. We were so mind fucked by it. Every 3 minutes we had to pause it to almost yell at each other, "What the fuck is going on?????"

Ryan Martinez

This is my favorite Buffy episode (and there are so many to choose from). I may just go over to my blog and write an essay. Whedon just <i>committed</i> to it--it's not one of those dream episodes that's really just plot with some random symbolic elements to make it feel "weird". It's the characters having an almost stream-of-consciousness exploration of their worlds. Seeing how they see themselves and each other is just neat.

FernWithy

I've only ever seen wide screen in reactions and it's totally thrown me a few times. lol You can flat out see cameramen and someone holding a boom stick during the fight between buffy and faith on faith's patio.

Miss Timi Fantastico

The reason the credits played first before anything else was deliberately chosen by Joss so that the flow of the episode wouldn't be interrupted by the opening credits.

Katherine Thoreson

There are parts of the episode where the audio is deliberately out of sync: when Joyce is talking to Xander and one of the Giles scenes. I don't recall any others of the top of my head.

Rachael

It's so weird watching this in widescreen. You can see part of the Cheese Man standing next to the First Slayer when she says, "We. Are. Alone."

Rachael

So if nobosy has said it yet, Passion of the Nerd has done 2x videos on Restless - one is spoiler free (for those who have just watched it and not seen seasons 5-7 yet) and one is full of spoilers intended to be watched when you’ve finished the entire show. I would HIGHLY recommend watching it - in fact, would love to see you react to it!

Holi117

Wasn't expecting this so soon. Yay!!! :D

Jenn Rose

Woo hoo!! We got it early this week. I’m so excited! And I just can’t hide it. I’m about to lose control and I think I like it. 😸😸

Bellatronics

Anybody else have the audio out of sync with the video? Tried reloading 3 times and same thing each time.

Holi117

Here's where my mind went: "Harry Potter and the Vagina Hallway". Who wants me to write that? Should it be erotica or non-erotica? What do you all think? Totally kidding. :P

UTU49

I like this.

Richard Lucas

“Restless” is definitely in my Top Five. The only ding I give it is the problematic representation of the First Slayer as a savage mute who needs a white woman to speak for her. They used Tara because David Boreanaz was not available. While I think it would have cool to have Angel guide Buffy as a callback to Buffy helping him in “Amends,” which he himself called back to in “Helpless,” it would have been even more problematic to have a white man speak for the First Slayer. At least Buffy was affronted by this and then started speaking to the Slayer directly, bypassing Tara. But then there was that awful quip about her hair. Sigh. I find it fascinating how other characters view Buffy. Giles and Xander both infantilize Buffy and are paternalistic with her. Willow thinks that Buffy does not acknowledge Willow’s growth and power. To me, Willow’s fear is not about her sexuality. Willow has already come out to her friends, and Tara and Oz flirting in front of her indicate an overall fear of rejection. It’s about people still seeing Willow as the shy, nerdy, nervous talker (who steps on everyone’s cues) social outcast she was in the pilot. It’s Buffy who exposes Willow and then watches with indifference while she is attacked. Riley calls Buffy “Killer,” like how Forrest called Fuffy a killer in “Who Are You?” (“I am not a killer. I am the Slayer, and you don’t know a thing about me.”).

Rachael

Beck's score for this is especially beautiful.

Rachael

A little BTS trivia.....that scene where Giles is walking up on stage at The Bronze, the piano player is actually Christophe Beck, the series composer.

"And if she does not love me, swiftly she will love, Even against her will." That poem is slightly disturbing, but it follows Willow's reliance on magic to control her emotions and relationships (Lovers Walk, Wild at Heart, Something Blue).

Rachael

Also the red hallway in Willow's dream is a vagina, according to Joss Whedon's commentary. Willow and the Vagina Hallway now needs to be a spin off novel. :D (edit: okay, damnit half of my comment disappeared? Weird)...Anyway, I find it interesting that Willow gets attacked in a metaphorical vagina hallway with Tara and then the next scene she's been stripped of her 'disguise' and Tara and Oz are both flirting right in front of her. Speaks a lot to Willow's insecurities about her identity and rejection.

Claire Eyles

The writing Willow is painting on Tara's back is a poem by Sappho, which translates as: Deathless Aphrodite on your lavish throne, Enchantress, daughter of Zeus: I beg you, queen, Do not overpower my soul with heartaches and hard troubles, But come here, if ever at another time Having heard my voice you paid me attention And leaving the golden house of your father you came to me, Yoking your horse and chariot: gorgeous swift Sparrows carried you over the coal-black earth, Thickly whirling their feathers through the midst of heaven's ether. Swiftly they arrived, and you, O blessed one, Smiling with your immortal face, you asked for What I suffered, and why again I call you And what in my maddened soul I desire most To happen to me: what dearest one shall I now Persuade to lead you back to her — who, O Sappho, wronged you this time? For even if she flees, swiftly she will pursue; And if she does not receive my gifts, she will give; And if she does not love me, swiftly she will love, Even against her will. So come to my aid now, Release me from my grievous cares, fulfill as much As my heart yearns to be fulfilled: come, be my fellow-fighter.

Claire Eyles

This episode always makes me want to make so many references but I can't and that kills me 😂

BaoziBang

I do NOT believe there is a spoiler in here anywhere. If someone finds one, please let me know and I will delete it immediately. NOT my intention to spoil anything! My theory about the cheese. (Nothing you don’t already know, you just may not realize you know it) 😊 First and foremost, the “Cheese-Man” is a red herring. Ignore him. He is a prop for the cheese. A voice like Tara was for the “First Slayer”. The cheese, all splayed out, in a symmetrical line, one slice overlapping the other… Willow made room for the cheese. The cheese won’t protect Xander. Does the cheese wear Giles or does Giles wear the cheese? The "First Slayer" says “No. Just KILL! We are ALONE!” Just as "Cheese-man" waves cheese. The cheese represents the slayer-line? Literally, a picture of it. To Willow and Xander, it is show in a symmetrical pattern, one overlapping the other, one after the other. When show to Giles and Buffy, it’s waved in their faces, not in the lined-up pattern, but TWO separate pieces. *coughbuffyfaithcough*. That’s my theory. It’s a visual and vocal representation of the “Slayer-line”. Am I crazy or does it fit?

KiwiJello

I wear the cheese. It does not wear me. Also, glad you enjoyed it.

Angela Colon

Fantastic! It was even better than I thought it would be. I laughed so many times!! This episode is better appreciated on a second &amp; third watch through. You catch something new each time you watch it. It's one of my favorite episodes of Buffy. I think it's genius. Off to watch the commentary now. Great job! XO

Sisnerdly

As others have said, it's a blast watching first time viewers watch this episode. It's fun to see so many reactors be absolutely right and completely wrong about things. Often in consecutive sentences. Sometimes in the same sentence. Either way, thanks for another great reaction.

Bruce Trogdon

Love this! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Bean's friend

Yes, he said in an update before this that thoughts would be on youtube so as not to make processing times too long here.

Vicky Y.

Are you going to upload your thoughts in a separate video? This one cuts off at the end of you watching the episode.

My favorite non-spoilery trivia for this: The scene where Buffy starts laughing at the pendulum was accomplished by Joss Whedon making funny faces to SMG from behind the camera and her actually breaking character.

Second_Strike

You asked all the right questions ;D No seriously, you picked up on way more stuff than I did watching this back in the day! Back then it was just weird to me, but watching it again, there's something strangely powerful about this episode. No doubt others will tell you this, but it's an episode that mandates repeated viewings. You may want to come back to it when you have time :)

Vicky Y.

Is your mind now sufficiently blown Liam?

Jarrod Wild

whooop 📿🧀

I hope you showed the proper respect for the cheese man.

Elisa H.

Been waiting for this. Can't wait to hear your theories!

Steven Winthrop

Once we cross it could all be different. No, wait! Wrong show!

Pudungurte

Insert Joker "And here...we....go" GIF

Best timing ever ! Thank's for the upload :)

Oh, dear, lord, it is here, I'll see you on the other side...

Clara V.