Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 7x13 Full Reaction
Added 2025-08-11 14:00:10 +0000 UTC"The Killer in Me"
Comments
It took me until the second viewing of that episode to twig that all three of the storylines followed the theme and title of the episode: The Killer in Me. For Willow, the killer part is obviously herself/Warren. Then we have Spike with the chip acting up and potentially killing him, or just stop working and letting Spike be free to act and Spike has been a killer. Third, there is the possibility that Giles is the First and the ultimate bad guy and the tension that he had the potentials away from everyone else where he could mess with their heads. And sure, that last part was a massive misdirect. I think they dragged it out so they could resolve it in this episode when it fit the theme.
Rod B
2025-08-17 09:30:29 +0000 UTCAdam Busch is sooo good in this episode playing Warren as Willow turning into Warren. Regardless of feelings toward the character it’s so impressive for a day player to return and satisfyingly pull of such a nuanced performance.
Isaiah Bryant
2025-08-14 12:43:28 +0000 UTCHearing a Buffy reactor hoping for a filler episode so that they can have a break from the plot-heavy streak we've been on is kind of hilarious to me!
Antonio
2025-08-12 08:59:28 +0000 UTCI'm finding that reading these comments before watching the reactions can be useful. Anybody else do this, lol?
Ian Ramsey
2025-08-12 05:19:06 +0000 UTCSorry it was a bad reveal that Giles wasn't dead. I think maybe it was complicated by the fact that you clued into the misdirect almost immediately. For me it was fun that we slowly got clued into that maybe that he was the First and started playing the "did he touch anything game." I guess since you thought that from the beginning it was rough. Yeah, the Amy hex seemed like it just happened. I really loved this episode when Kennedy figured out how storybook magic worked and reversed the spell with a kiss. Peak Kennedy. And I think since you were the one that asked, yes, Lalaine from Lizzy McGuire was playing Chloe in episode 7x11 "Showtime."
Dee Aitch
2025-08-12 02:43:33 +0000 UTCYou’re misunderstanding it the hex was put on recently, I also like Kennedy and Andrew
Michael Matthews
2025-08-12 01:47:23 +0000 UTCTo be fair, it's rare that someone is smart enough to pick up that Giles wasn't touching anything in all those episodes on the first watch. I believe the writers were actually disappointed that they went through the effort to do that and hardly anybody picked it up and was worried about it.
Captain Hammer
2025-08-12 01:29:16 +0000 UTCCass videos are what I look forward to most during the week. Thank you for what you do!
Captain Hammer
2025-08-12 00:50:06 +0000 UTCI'm one of those fans who absolutely despises Kennedy, and it's got nothing at all to do with her not being Tara. Tricking Willow into a date? Not cool. Disparaging something that's really important to Willow? Like, you don't DO that! That's not actually sweet or nice. "Oh, I think this thing you like is really stupid, but you like it, so I guess that's OK" is not a positive statement, it's underhanded and insulting. And that's just from THIS episode. Just three episodes ago when she first showed up she was immediately snarky and dismissive towards Buffy and then was really pushy towards Willow about the sleeping arrangements in a house in which she is a GUEST??? First impressions matter, and hers was so atrocious I'm never going to get past it. Kennedy sucks and I hate her. A lot.
El
2025-08-11 23:53:07 +0000 UTCBah humbug!! No cookies for me. Here are my TWO good things about Kennedy…she came in as a partially trained slayer and she is pretty. It ends there. I can’t stand arrogance and she has it HUGE in that department.
Andrea Frank
2025-08-11 23:47:29 +0000 UTCThere’s a lot of fans that hate Kennedy. I myself don’t see it, I’ve always liked the character as she is definitely the potential who has the most depth. The only reason I think people don’t like her is because she’s not tara
Martin Gardner
2025-08-11 23:35:41 +0000 UTCKennedy is one of the characters that gets MASSIVE hate in the fandom. It's one of those situations where it's all out of proportion to what actually happens on the show, and fandom fixation just feeds on itself to grow wildly out of control. Prepare for a whole bunch of comments on YouTube that are just "Ugh, Kennedy" and "God I can't believe I have to suffer through Kennedy again". Hopefully it's mellowed over the past few years and it won't be such a chore for you. Regarding terminology and Willow's self-identification, it's very wonky. I agree that Willow as a character SHOULD be "bisexual", since her attractions to Xander and Oz in the early seasons were presented as "real". However, TV at the time -- and sadly still today -- didn't really understand what bisexuality meant or how sexual orientation is not just a simple binary. As such, there's several references in seasons six and seven to Willow "turning" gay, and how she is gay "now" (Telling Anya that she wouldn't try to steal Xander again because now she's gay, trying to transform R.J. into a woman with magic because she can't be attracted to him as a man, etc.). Personally, I just disregard all of those lines as a writing flaw from writers who don't "get" what they're writing about.
JBK405
2025-08-11 23:20:21 +0000 UTCoh thank god you aren't immediately a Kennedy hater
Mementovitae
2025-08-11 22:51:44 +0000 UTCPeoples who like Kennedy are few, welcome to the group, we have cookies.
slypeartree
2025-08-11 22:46:39 +0000 UTCWithout that single shot of the axe about to fall on Giles’ head, we likely wouldn’t have doubted him at all. It’s a manipulative move on the writers’ part, sure—but for me, the Giles/First fake-out works thematically, even if I understand why it frustrates some viewers. Or maybe because it frustrates some viewers. Trust has been a major theme so far this season—with The First making people doubt themselves and each other, and with all the ways Willow’s magic, Spike’s chip, his soul, etc. have been called into question. So it makes sense to me that the writers would keep challenging both the characters’ and the audience’s ability to trust—whether The First itself is directly involved or not. It’s also worth noting that none of the Potentials—or Buffy—are included in that subplot, and I think that’s intentional. They likely would’ve shut the suspicion down immediately. Just because the audience—and those four characters—haven’t seen Giles touch anything or anyone doesn’t mean he hasn’t the entire time. They weren’t watching him. They had no reason to. And with so many people constantly coming and going in the house, it makes sense that certain things would be missed. Anyway, great reaction as always!
tc3
2025-08-11 22:32:45 +0000 UTCNow that I think about it, Amy used Willow's attempt to destroy the world as part of her excuse for messing with Willow, so she probably cast the hex sometime after the season 6 finale.
Maia Brodsky
2025-08-11 22:25:03 +0000 UTCI'm glad you like Kennedy. I don't exactly love her, but I do like her, and I think she gets way more hate than she deserves. I understand it, though. People are devoted Tara stans, and Kennedy's forward nature can come off as abrasive at times. As far as the Giles thing, I get your irritation, but the writers have done this sort of thing before. It's kind of like when they tricked us into thinking Cordelia died in season 3, except that instead of a few seconds, they strung things out for many episodes. I've always assumed the hex Amy cast on Willow was something she did more recently, but it's true that it could've been last season. And finally, the Initiative is gone, so these soldiers were probably standard demon-fighting soldiers like Riley. Some of his subordinates, maybe. The Initiative captured demons and experimented on them. Riley and his crew just kill them. I don't think we're supposed to believe they were down there the whole time, but rather tracked Buffy and Spike down there in response to Riley's call. And the demon down there was (again, I presume) an Initiative captive who managed to survive down there for years after the end of season 4, which is horrifying in its own right.
Maia Brodsky
2025-08-11 22:22:45 +0000 UTCThis was actually a Tara episode, at least an episode that allowed us (both Willow and the audience) to mourn Tara in a way that we didn't get a chance to at the end of Season 6. Amy's hex worked somewhat like Angel's soul curse. The moment Angel forgot his suffering and was truly happy, his soul was removed. The moment Willow let Tara 'be dead' (did you note that when she was talking to Kennedy about her and Tara she used the present tense, "Tara and I ARE very private"), the hex took effect and, thinking that the kiss and forgetting about Tara made her 'kill' Tara, she transformed into Warren, not out of guilt for her (Willow) killing Warren, but because Warren was the one who killed Tara. It's also a little reminiscent of episode 2x19, I Only Have Eyes for You, where Buffy's guilt over 'killing' Angel makes her the perfect host for possession by the suffering ghost of James. I love that Riley refers to Spike as "assface." And makes a point that he be quoted exactly. Yeah, Riley!
DanielOrme
2025-08-11 21:50:49 +0000 UTCyeah it's just a big fart of a misdirect in the end
Jorgalorg
2025-08-11 18:42:39 +0000 UTCYes! mondays are much more tolerable with your buffy reactions
Rey R
2025-08-11 17:06:09 +0000 UTCCongrats again on getting to Twitch Partner! I think that Amy knowing that Kennedy is a potential slayer was hinting that Amy has been keeping tabs on Willow and cast the hex recently. Also I think that Amy's hex being to some degree automated (selecting the punishment, starting condition and ending condition on Willow's subconscious) hinted that Amy isn't trying as hard to improve as she claims to. Regarding the ‘is Giles the First?’ it is something that I found to add suspense on my first time viewing, makes for a fun re-watch to see how he never actually physically touches anything in front of the audience, but starts to fall apart the more I think about it; because from Giles’ return to the reveal that he is not the First, so many days (maybe weeks) pas and so many characters are staying at Buffy’s house all the time, that it starts to strain credulity for me.
James Smith
2025-08-11 17:05:13 +0000 UTCThe form of the spell let the target choose their own "punishment". In this case it seems that when Willow kissed Kennedy something inside of her felt intense guilt over letting go of Tara enough to indulge someone else romantically and that guilt triggered the hex. As for the purpose of misleading the audience, dramatic irony wouldn't have worked here. If we had known for sure that he wasn't the 1st then when the gang doubted and didn't know if he was or not we would have had an engagement level of zero.
Brandon Scott
2025-08-11 16:58:18 +0000 UTCCongratulations on making Twitch Partner!
MaggieStormborn
2025-08-11 14:32:37 +0000 UTC"Does this mean she's dropping the 7×12 edit soon?" whined the new guy.
radhatter37
2025-08-11 14:12:53 +0000 UTC
