Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 6x9 Full Reaction
Added 2025-02-12 15:00:10 +0000 UTC"Smashed"
Comments
"What the hell to him hitting her" - Okay, I've just got to point out though... she hit him first! And canonically she is WAY stronger than him! He hit her BACK. Typically a man hitting a woman like that would be hugely problematic, but this is not the usual dynamic. She is the one with greater strength/power, and she hit him first.
dreamsofspike
2025-03-29 16:50:34 +0000 UTCWell gosh!
Saem
2025-02-18 17:05:58 +0000 UTCI thought your reaction when your realized that OMWF was a musical episode would be hard to top, but your expression when you realized Buffy and Spike were actually smashing was even better.
slypeartree
2025-02-15 23:30:09 +0000 UTCAs the Mayor would say, "She's not our little girl anymore."
Bud Haven
2025-02-15 02:23:37 +0000 UTCHello there Cass! If you haven’t yet, you should check out a movie called “Valentine” with Angel from Buffy, David Boreanaz and a great cast. I don’t want to spoil the genre so I’ll keep it to myself for your surprise. 🤗 Have a Merry Valentines !🌼
Mayra Martinez
2025-02-14 07:18:59 +0000 UTCIf you ever have the time check out Julie Benz in movie Secrets of a Gold Digger Killer, she gave quite the preformance with a southern accent.
Morgan Williams
2025-02-14 00:34:36 +0000 UTCHope this helps: Spike is the quintessential "dark empath". "A dark empath is someone who has strong emotional intelligence and can understand and connect with other people’s feelings—like a typical empath—but instead of using this ability for kindness or support, they use it for manipulation, control, or self-gain. "Unlike psychopaths or narcissists, who lack empathy, dark empaths do understand emotions but use them strategically to influence others. They might come across as charming, caring, or even vulnerable, but their real motives are often self-serving. This makes them more dangerous in some ways because they can build trust and read people well, making their manipulation harder to detect. "Think of a dark empath as someone who sees your emotions as tools rather than things to care about. They might use guilt-tripping, subtle intimidation, or emotional games to get what they want while still appearing relatable and understanding."
Brandon Scott
2025-02-13 05:00:48 +0000 UTCI know I was amazed. This was on a commercial broadcast network, not pay cable. They made it very clear what was happening, even including the sound of the zipper unzipping. In 2002 you just didn't have that on commercial TV.
DanielOrme
2025-02-13 01:50:02 +0000 UTCTo answer your question: This is the first time we've seen Spike hit/try to hit Buffy since she returned from the dead. There were several times in season five that he tried to attack her and got shocked, so the divide does seem to be pre/post resurrection. As to WHY, well....you'll have to keep watching. Keep in mind, the chip doesn't divide distinguish between "good" and "evil". It was originally introduced as not letting him hurt anything "living", and that's always been portrayed as squarely a human vs. inhuman divide. Even bad people don't get an exception. That's why they showed the chip zapping Spike at the start of the episode when he attacked the two muggers. He thought they were demons, and even though they were human they were two bad humans doing crime, but the chip zapped him anyway. I have got THOUGHTS about this development between Buffy and Spike. Ooooooooh boy do I have thoughts. Instead of letting out those thoughts, all I'll say is: Remember when Faith appeared in "Angel" and tried to kill him? Remember how it ended with her breaking down in the rain and pleading with Angel to kill her because of how bad she was and how guilty she felt? And the only way she thought she could escape was by having him punish her? Hmmm.......
JBK405
2025-02-12 23:47:35 +0000 UTCWe know Spike's chip still worked on Buffy before she died, because he hit her to try to snap her out of her catatonic state in the penultimate episode of season 5, and it set his chip off.
Maia Brodsky
2025-02-12 23:47:16 +0000 UTCCass said they both hate themselves, not that they hate each other. Though I agree it is very much a love/hate thing they have going on.
Maia Brodsky
2025-02-12 23:45:43 +0000 UTCOoh neat observation, I've never noticed that before in countless watches / reaction-watches!
Jeremy J Nickurak
2025-02-12 22:49:18 +0000 UTCThe house being destroyed is the most in-you-face metaphor for a destructive relationship I have ever seen on television. As a fan of the program, I love it. I'm impressed how quickly you picked up that they both hate each other and that its unhealthy.
Rod Bate
2025-02-12 22:42:20 +0000 UTCSeconded.
Maia Brodsky
2025-02-12 22:28:16 +0000 UTCGreat reaction. The healthiest person in this episode is Tara. Her care and love for Dawn warms my heart. She is truly Dawn surrogate Mom.
JOSE HOSANA CARVALHO DA FONSECA
2025-02-12 22:13:38 +0000 UTCNot sure if it was intentional but the first thing Angelus said when he lost his soul back in Buffy S2 was "The pain is gone" and now Spike said it to emphasis that something has changed.
James Smith
2025-02-12 21:42:31 +0000 UTCTechnically he did hesitate about wanting to kill that woman before trying to bite her lol. And I would personally argue with your assessment in different ways, but mainly through the fact that Spike has felt strong sadness from Buffy’s passing. As well as seeming to have real care for the other Summers women. I think this show has played around a lot with how much a lack of soul hinders a vampire’s ability to feel a range of emotions. Angel without a soul is still very different from a Spike without a soul. But yes, he is definitely not anywhere close to being able to be truly good and feel bad for hurting people outside of those he thinks he loves.
MG
2025-02-12 21:38:06 +0000 UTCYou keep talking about Spike as if he is capable of true empathy. He is a soulless monster. The show reminded you of this when he immediately tried to murder someone when he believed pain was no longer an obstacle. He cannot change. Also, Buffy 100% realizes this. She knows he's a soulless monster. She's just in so much emotional turmoil that she wants to drown those sorrows in dopamine, A.k.a. Sex, or in this case, masturbation. He's basically a humping post to her. That, and a place where she has no responsibilities or judgments.
Aaron Price
2025-02-12 21:33:31 +0000 UTCI always interpreted the scene at the start where Buffy is talking to Willow on her bed about "something", she was wanting to tell her about kissing Spike - not about Willow's magic use. I think you interpreted it as an intervention for Willow, but I think it was more about Buffy wanting an intervention for herself. She even goes "Sometimes we make good choices, and sometimes some not so good choices... well lately I have..." before she gets interrupted. After the truth comes out about her being pulled out of Heaven, I think this was her first attempt at trying to rebuild relationships and reconnect with her best friend.
Jonathon Wilson
2025-02-12 21:26:14 +0000 UTCYour face during spike and buffy's demolishing session was priceless lol. You have such good insight into both spike and buffy's mental space right now and how that creates such a complex and interesting toxicity. They're both at a really low spot in terms of their behavior and psyche. 'It again is not healthy, but what exactly is in this show right now' is a good synopsis of this season to date lol
mary smith
2025-02-12 21:04:34 +0000 UTCRemember, Faith said fighting makes her hungry and horny lol. Also Spike is definitely saying some horrible toxic things to Buffy to try to bring her into the dark side, probably because he thinks that's the only way Buffy will be able to get herself to a point of being with him. Since he can't fully be in the light with her.
MG
2025-02-12 19:24:17 +0000 UTCRegarding Willow, Willow is a junkie, ugly way of putting it but at this stage that's about the best word to describe her situation. Being a junkie is kind of like living your life in quarters. There's a quarter of you that desperately tries to pretend that everything's okay, there's nothing wrong, and even if there is it will just work it self out; then there's the quarter who accepts some stuff is bad, but you take zero accountabilty and just bitch and moan about how it's everyone's fault but yours; then there's the quarter that will lie, manipulate, and use others just to keep getting high, and finally there's a quarter of you that absolutely knows and accepts how messed up you are, and desperately wants to stop. Just personally I kinda found the trick was to somehow get that last quarter of yourself to be front and centre long enough to override the other three and genuinely reach out for, and fully commit to getting help. That doesn't mean that everything just gets fixed like *poof* all better now, but it's a start. So far the only addict side of Willow we haven't seen is the part that wants to stop and wants help to stop. The way she's going though it's anyone's guess as to when that part of her will finally show itself.
Claire Eyles
2025-02-12 18:59:36 +0000 UTC"I'm not gonna lie I thought we were half way through that episode" -Cass. Smashed/Wrecked is a two-parter, it continues straight on from where we left off.
dreadPirateRoberts
2025-02-12 18:38:41 +0000 UTCBy the way, another reactor noted that she had never seen such a frank sex scene in a teen drama that is allowed on screens. It became interesting -- have you seen anything more frank in a show of this type?
ThePowerDrome
2025-02-12 17:21:21 +0000 UTCSpike had planned to beat her up a bit from the start. One, because maybe he'd been holding back for so long. No matter how much he'd really changed, holding back his aggression for so long didn't do any good. Two, if she turned out to be the wrong one, he'd have to kill her. Maybe Buffy would turn him into dust in return, so what? He'd never been afraid of death. In fact, I see his entire vampire history as one big desire to die for women -- from the mob or the Slayer stake or something. Without their attention, he knows his limits as clearly as a troll. It's hard to say what Buffy thinks, but I think the fight makes her a little excited, and then Spike says something inappropriate, and she goes off the hook. See, in addition to the fear of sleeping with a man and then not finding him in bed in the morning because he has turned into a soulless evil or has been that way from the beginning, Buffy also has the psychological trauma of the important men in her life who either leave themselves or confront her with the fact. Her father, Angel, Parker, Riley, Giles. Spike has already sung in the song that he should leave, and he wants to repeat it -- "are you afraid I'll leave"? The mere possibility that he will leave too is panic-inducing. Buffy doesn't let him finish and starts kissing him. So I don't think it was foreplay. Of course. Such a relationship is not healthy. They are both sick. By the way, you can imagine how much Spike's proposals on the phone confuse her. She can't even explain properly to Xander what Spike wants. She would blush if she could. Before, such hints only disgusted her.
ThePowerDrome
2025-02-12 17:18:16 +0000 UTCSo THE Jonathan sent you a package? How sure are you someone hasn‘t cast a spell on you?
Minister Kosh
2025-02-12 17:06:26 +0000 UTCTom and Nicole = Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's divorce
madfem
2025-02-12 15:48:13 +0000 UTCYES this has made my day!!
Melissa Reynolds
2025-02-12 15:07:50 +0000 UTC
