Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 7x6 Full Reaction
Added 2025-07-04 15:40:59 +0000 UTC"Him"
Comments
Definitely filler (between two great ones), but there are some funny bits. Also, I like that they make it clear that there's no creepy bad guy behind the love spell (at least nobody we meet, obviously someone made it at some point) - RJ's brother decided to stop wearing the jacket because he ... graduated, I guess? And it looked like he has no idea why he can't get a date anymore.
Arlo Murphy
2025-07-15 01:48:07 +0000 UTCOne of Anya's best lines of the series was something like "Evil has an agenda" , meaning that stuff is not random when it comes to evil forces. In this ep, the love agenda is the villain. The craziness is an overwhelming need for love and affection and approval for a single person, that forces their brains to compute with the L key held down, to the point where they commit crimes, all the way up to crippling people and murder and suicide. They lighten it up, because its not time for the tragedy, and its just a show, but it gets at the underlying truth that desire for love, the craziness of love betrayal and denial, really does drive people insane enough to destroy their whole lives, do completely out-of-character things, make fools of themselves, and does lead to tragedy. Also, this episode was all about the outfits. Sunnydale is apparently a jean-jacket paradise. Most of the characters were wearing one for a few scenes in this episode. Dawn wore a bunch of outfits, from a blue jean-jacket ensemble, to several earth-tone ensembles, to an african print top with low-rise jeans, to a red suede sportscoat. Buffy pulled out the jean jacket, the peasant tops (just like Anya), the James bond knit sweater, and several "business dress" outfits for work. Then there were costumes -- cheerleader, catholic school girl, burglar, Jocks, Pizza delivery boy. Buffy's black ensemble looks a lot like Darla's from the first episode where she lures a boy into the school for some naughty fun.
spikeysnack
2025-07-05 19:30:53 +0000 UTCI'm in with the consensus opinion, filler but with probably the best bit of slapstick in the series (the looney tunes chase with Spike and Buffy and the bazooka). I wasn't as icked out by it as many were, but generally the show takes over half of the time being extremely boring setting up the jokes. But the jokes do pay off at the end (the 70s quad frame editing, Willow willing to look past his sex jokes, Xander's brilliant and complex plan and how he makes sure Spike understands it before executing). I guess they didn't have enough jokes so they had to pad out the intro (which could have been easily chopped down).
Dee Aitch
2025-07-05 07:48:30 +0000 UTCI paused the credits while listening to Cass' wrap up and was shocked to see the cheerleader was Riki Lindhome! I knew I recognized her.
Dee Aitch
2025-07-05 07:43:50 +0000 UTCHonestly the Buffy straddling scene also felt like another version of attempted SA that happened to her. It was always a really disturbing scene to me that doesn't really get discussed afterward. But at the same time something similar happened with Xander in his love spell episode so maybe I was too sensitive about this scene. But this scenes was especially blah since RJ didn't try to stop Buffy, gross
Masha Gunic
2025-07-05 05:01:01 +0000 UTCThe scene through the window with the bazooka is so much fun!
Preaching to the Horse's Mouth
2025-07-05 04:31:20 +0000 UTCI like the fact that in the old-school 22 episodes per season format, they had the space to play around with jokes like this. In an 8 o 10 episode season, every episode has to drive drive drive the plot, so they can't afford little excursions out sideways. I get that this one is not everyone's favourite episode but I think it's fun and they definitely played it for the laughs. I found Willow's reaction particularly amusing. (Keeping in mind that this was in the days before being bi was even acknowledged as a possibility) I like that Buffy's feelings for her sister eventually over-ride the power of the spell, to the point where they could both acknowledge that they "might be under a spell." Sure, I agree it isn't an important or powerful episode, but I do think it's fun.
Rod B
2025-07-05 01:21:02 +0000 UTCI like the episode. As far as Buffy goes it's definitely not one of the best but it makes me laugh and I enjoy watching how hard it makes reactors cringe at the cringy parts. I also enjoy the twist that the spell wasn't intentional, at least by RJ.
Jonathan Hall
2025-07-05 01:10:26 +0000 UTCInteresting guest cast in this one, both of those cheerleaders have been in a lot of stuff.
Dusty Hill
2025-07-05 00:38:37 +0000 UTCThis episode feels like a repeat to me, they even acknowledge it with the flashback. Overall I think it's an okay filler episode with both bad and funny moments.
slypeartree
2025-07-04 23:23:02 +0000 UTCWaste of 1 of S7’s 22 episodes. There’s the tiniest bit of comedy that hits but overall always feels pointless especially for the last season
Isaiah Bryant
2025-07-04 21:28:20 +0000 UTCCringe comedy, the comedy of humiliation or embarrassment, whatever you want to call it, always repels me. When it goes over-the-top silly near the end (Buffy with the rocket launcher, Anya robbing banks, Willow and the sex-change spell) I actually feel relieved at not having to take it seriously anymore. But at least we get Spike out of the basement, and the reaffirmed sisterly bond at the end is nice.
DanielOrme
2025-07-04 21:08:14 +0000 UTCThe title for the song they play by The Shins, "Caring is Creepy," seems very fit for this episode. So yeah, not my favorite episode either. In fact it's my least favorite of the season. I get what they were going for, and it does have its genuinely comedic moments, but it feels too much like a goofy Lifetime movie with a supernatural twist. I always get second-hand embarrassment whenever I have to watch Dawn do her cheerleading skit. But, not all is lost. Some stuff I liked: even though they don't like each other, I enjoyed seeing Spike and Xander work together in the last half of this episode. And the part where we see Buffy trying to blow up Principal Wood with her rocket launcher, and her chasing Spike in the background after he takes it from her, is comedy gold. This part is also a callback to season 2 when Buffy uses the same rocket launcher to defeat the Judge (At least I think it's the same one. But maybe we should ask the Youtube scholars so they can tell us what the writers' opinion is! They know everything!). That being said, I agree with you when you say this episode just feels out of place. It's a hiccup in relation to the solid episodes we've had so far. In my opinion, the rest of the season is much better.
Steve Quast
2025-07-04 20:01:03 +0000 UTCWe all wish Tara was still here. She had a heart and soul that nobody else can match. That was a rocket launcher that Buffy was using to try and kill Principal Wood. It's not mentioned in the episode, but many fans assume that it is the same launcher Buffy used to kill The Judge in season two. The best and most frequent descriptor I hear for this episode is "inconsequential". That doesn't mean it's bad per se, but that it doesn't mater and therefore doesn't have the same impact of other equal-quality episodes that nonetheless fit into the ongoing story.
JBK405
2025-07-04 19:51:57 +0000 UTCI think the general consensus is that most folks don't really care for this episode and fair enough. I don't mind it, it's silly and comedic, if a little cringe at times. I always enjoy your reactions though so I'm still excited to check it out. And at the risk of over hyping things, next week is a banger, in my opinion.
Preaching to the Horse's Mouth
2025-07-04 18:43:17 +0000 UTC"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" is a famous quote from the Monty Python sketch "The Spanish Inquisition".
Markus E.
2025-07-04 18:23:48 +0000 UTCI love Buffy trying to take out Principle Wood, slap stick gold🤣🤣
Stephen Knueppel
2025-07-04 17:28:47 +0000 UTCAlso as much as this episode may be in my very bottom tier of Buffy episodes, I will say equally that the comedic bits in the final third of the episode are some of the best!
Cameron Ferguson
2025-07-04 17:02:27 +0000 UTCProbably my least favourite episode of all… Some funny moments but the straddling of the student and Dawn trying to commit suicide made me feel more uncomfortable than anything else. One excellent reactor thought it was one of the five best episodes so to each their own, but I think there are some much better episodes in season 7.
borednow
2025-07-04 16:57:41 +0000 UTCThe Buffy and Dawn sisterly bond is good, but I feel the rest of this episode is just a worst version of Buffy S2 ‘Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered’
James Smith
2025-07-04 16:51:37 +0000 UTCIts a filler and not the best one at that. All shows have them and old school 7x22 format tv-shows have a lot of them (I like the more modern format of 8, 10 or 12 episodes a season). This one has its moments, especially with Willow and Anya but also things like that you can see Spike's reflection a couple of times.
Fenhorn
2025-07-04 16:39:27 +0000 UTCLOL I remember discussing this on Twitch yesterday briefly so im very looking forward to this
Cameron Ferguson
2025-07-04 16:26:21 +0000 UTCNot my fave ep but very excited for the reaction lmao!
Melissa Reynolds
2025-07-04 15:42:03 +0000 UTC
