Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 5x13 Reaction
Added 2024-08-23 18:35:46 +0000 UTC"Blood Ties"
Comments
There is a theme of disassociation in this season -- people are getting "Split" and going crazy all over, because stuff is too much for them, and also the Hellmouth is sending the scoobies a bunch of weird duality magic things. Dracula shows buffy a taste of her dark side leading her to lean more into her slayer side, suddenly there are two Summers girls, Xander is actually split into two people, her mother is having emotional shifts, a Hellgoddess is also two people and is turning regular people into crazy people, It turns out the Monks have created and "alternate history" that everyone is living, Spike both hates and loves Buffy, and it's tearing him in two emotionally, even if he doesn't have a soul, he apparently has a heart, because it breaks a lot. Riley had dual loyalties that screwed him up royally, and he finally had to choose one and run with it before it destroyed him completely. Harmony is also torn, because Spike is a bad boyfriend, and she has probably had enough of his BS, but she is still in the "Can't quit you" stage of it. Anya is trying to transition to a "normal" human life with all the things a girl should have, but stuff keeps coming up that bring back her demon history, so she has to learn how to integrate, and of course it is funny to see her try. Now Dawn has her identify crisis, because of course it is insane and drives her over the bend. Even Giles has his loyalties torn in two by the Council, though he of course chooses Buffy in the end. also its not the first time this has happened either, he has been conflicted about his role a lot. My theory of the Cheese Man in "Restless" was that the cheese slices were fates each person could choose, and while none of the scoobies actively chose them in the dreams, they are still forced into one of them anyway. Each character is going to be "Split" this season, and somehow have to re-integrate that split by making a choice and sacrificing the choices not taken. Maybe even Glory, as she has big duality magic going on as well.
spikeysnack
2024-08-27 06:25:02 +0000 UTCYESSSSSS I LOVE THIS EPISODE and your takes on Dawn are so so correct - I feel like not many people really grasp just how horrifying that realisation would be. And the Ben & Glory reveal!!!!!! There's a shot in one of the early s5 episodes (I want to say No Place Like Home but I'm not sure) where we see Ben in the hospital and it leads into Glory attacking someone. And Glory comes from the exact same place that we last saw Ben - but the camera moves fully across the room so the first-time viewer doesn't realise! It's such a clever bit of camera trickery, s5 is so good at dropping hints that seem obvious in retrospect but are completely missable in the moment.
doctrfaustus
2024-08-26 23:36:48 +0000 UTCOnce you're done with Buffy you should watch Supernatural, you'd be with these characters for a loooong time.
Melissa Pouliot
2024-08-24 23:37:59 +0000 UTCDon't let Glory see The Host, gang #itsnoteasybeinggreen
Antonio
2024-08-24 08:35:16 +0000 UTCThe reveals are great in this. Its a relief that more characters catch up with the info that Dawn in the key; even more surprising that Dawn also finds out. The audience is then put ahead of the characters in the confusing confirmation that Glory is a morph queen.
The Testimony of Mushroom
2024-08-24 07:24:29 +0000 UTCLooks like everybody has touched on the Ben/Glory thing... I do have a thought on Spike. Is it possible that since he is not currently capable of harming humans without great headaches the old William (the poet) is finding his way back from the unrequited love bender he's been on for at least a century? Spike is starting to show signs of development as well as everything else that is going on. Including the temperamental, obsessive moments he is having. That also included a particular moment of making Buffy aware that the situation isn't Spike's mess this time when she was mad. I am excited to see what happens next.
Michael Labs
2024-08-24 05:10:01 +0000 UTCOne of my favorite things about Dawn/Glory is the foreshadowing from 5x03. If you remember, the demons goal was to split Buffy's qualities apart. All the qualities of Buffy Summers, her humanity, (Dawn) and the slayer concentrate, a killer devoid of empathy(Glory).
NC
2024-08-24 03:01:16 +0000 UTCI love how Dawn has lots of parallels to Buffy. They're both imbued with this ominous destiny that neither of them asked for, and I think that's why Buffy intuited that Dawn needed to know more about what the Key is, because her own journey this season has been about finding out more about what being the Slayer means. This season is so darn well written.
Raymond Simon
2024-08-24 01:44:41 +0000 UTCI love how Spike has just become synonymous with outdoor shots of the Summers' residence 😆
Preaching to the Horse's Mouth
2024-08-24 01:22:44 +0000 UTCDawn's situation is a recipe for a serious existential crisis and dissociative/derealization episode! I feel so much sympathy for her. Her story is kind of a fantastical metaphor for adoption, when you think about it. That the Scoobies choose to embrace and love her as one of their own regardless of where she came from and how she got here is so moving.
Mornir
2024-08-24 01:08:10 +0000 UTCRe: Ben, the question to always keep in mind for everybody everywhere is this: What do they choose to do? Ben has refused to help Glory when she gave him a mission, and tried to warn off Dawn when he realized she was the Key. And unconnected to the Key plot, all on his own he has apparently chosen to become a doctor and help people. But he also summoned the Queller demon to cover up Glory's predations, and despite refusing to assist her he hasn't done anything to OPPOSE her, either. What his connection to Glory is, and how it all came about and how the magic works, we don't know yet. But we can see what he DOES.
JBK405
2024-08-24 00:48:42 +0000 UTC"I have something in my eye." I think you should keep a box of kleenex near in case it happens again...
slypeartree
2024-08-23 21:06:34 +0000 UTCMichelle Trachtenberg's performance when she confronts everyone about being a key..."Am I real? Am I anything?"...ooof, chills up and down my spine. Start crying immediately. I was already on board with Dawn as a character with Buffy pushing back the hair behind her ear at the end of episode 5x5; but, for me, this cemented her as an actual talent, and a benefit for the overall series. Definite highlight for my favorite season of the show.
Steve Mercier
2024-08-23 20:46:55 +0000 UTCAhhh, yes. The episode where we discover that Ben and Glory share a connection. But what kind? *pretends to ponder deeply* Yes, this episode is definitely a highlight of the season (though just one of many). So much happens in terms of the scoobies finding out things we've already known since episode 5, but we, the audience, also get some new information which, if anything, just raises more questions. "Blood Ties" is powerful in terms of stirring emotions and telling a good story. And I have to say, Michelle Trachtenberg's acting was on point throughout. On a final note, Glory said that the last time she saw the key it was a green shimmer. Dawn has been wearing green from time to time lately.
Steve Quast
2024-08-23 20:18:29 +0000 UTCDid you notice that Ben had a little red dress in his locker. 🤔
Jason Harrelson
2024-08-23 19:56:45 +0000 UTCI always feel so bad for Dawn and so protective of her. That's more than anyone could handle not to mention a teenager with all the regular reasons they act out. My own daughters were 20 and 18 when this episode aired and I couldn't stop thinking about how they might have handled such mind-blowing information
Stephen Knueppel
2024-08-23 19:46:10 +0000 UTC
