Book Talk: I've Been Reading...

Watching all the things is still getting in the way of all my posting.  Only this time I'm not just watching Buffy but Angel too and I've started Downton Abbey right from the very beginning.  So in case you were wondering what I was doing well there was that.  There was or should say is some serious writing going on as well.  Suddenly the brain is on fire and in the space of just 2 weeks I've written over 5000 words.

I know right?  I'm not sure how that happened either.  Well just have to see if it keeps up at this pace.

All of this means that my reading has seriously slowed down.  Which might not necessarily be a bad thing, though I'm pretty sure my To Be Read pile doesn't think so and will no doubt go on mutiny and barricade me in my room or something. 

In the meantime I can at least catch up with some blog posts...

I just loved these first two reads which were so totally me in every way.  The covers are pretty also which always helps I find.

After swooning over beachy reads it was time for the crime.  

Sorry bad pun very much not intended. 

Two by Robert Bryndza who I haven't read before and which I very much liked which of course gives me yet another series and author to follow.  That To Be Read pile really isn't going to go down anytime soon is it?  

Then another book by an author I have read before and once again enjoyed.

With all the chick lit and crime I broke completely away and dived into the world of graphic novels.  I enjoyed my previous one so much that I hunted some more out.  Quite a few were duds.  So much so that I didn't even bother going beyond the first few pages but these three were ones that I did like.   

I'm not a big superhero fan but I liked the art work and the grittier story line in these. 

The Viewing Files: With Friends Like These Who Needs Enemies

Two seasons down, only five more to go.  Overall what did we learn from season 2, well...

• Dunagrees for the win
• Miss Calendar and Giles were totally cute as a couple
• Spike and Giles make the best bad boys.  And very swoon worthy with it.
• Oz is the coolest, most laid back guy on the planet.
• Birthdays suck
• Dating really is the worse
• Xander is a bit of a jealous jerk and not just about Cordelia.
• Buffy's mom is probably the most clueless parent on the planet 

Writing wise this season had a lot more going for it though there was still the odd dud (Some Assembly Required and Go Fish).  On the plus side though we had Halloween, The Dark Age, Surprise and Innocence, Passion and Becoming 1 and 2 which were my favourites from this season.

On a side note the fight scenes are really good but amazingly you can tell that it's a stunt double doing the fighting which is jarring at times.  Something I had never noticed before but definitely did this time round. 

It's going to be interesting to see how things go in season 3.

Season 3 Episode 1: Anne

Trying to put the events of season 2 behind her Buffy is now in LA working as a waitress and doing her best to lay low.  Naturally of course the supernatural world isn't going to just go away and soon Buffy finds herself in another dimension and fighting off demons.

Being a teen with fighting powers really does suck.

Fav Quote: Willow: Well, we try not to get killed. That's part of our whole mission statement. 'Don't get killed.' 

Fashion: There's not much going on in the fashion stakes but Buffy's pigtails are seriously cute.  She's also changed her hair colour to a more sunkiss kind of blond.  I'm not sure if I like it or not.

Body Count: 2 (neither are from Sunnydale though)

Season 3 Episode 2: Dead Man's Party

Buffy is back in Sunnydale and trying once more to move on with her life.  Unfortunately her friends and her mom aren't all that forgiving of her running away and leaving them behind to cope.

Solution?  Let's throw a party and pretend it never happened.

And that's another idea to go down in the worse idea ever book, especially when said party turns into the night of the undead and everyone is left fighting for their lives.

Fav Quote: Giles: Unbelievable. 'Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It raises the dead!' Americans.
 
Fashion: Buffy's pink and red party dress is super girly and feminine and very me.

Body Count: 6 at least and possibly more.  It's pretty much a massacre.

Season 3 Episode 3: Faith, Hope & Trick

Faith, the new slayer in town, arrives with a bad attitude and an even trashier wardrobe and is out to cause mayhem.  

Meanwhile Buffy might actually have a date with a normal boy.  Wonders will never cease.

Fav Quote: Buffy: Date and shop and hang out and go to school and save the world from unspeakable demons. You know, I wanna do girlie stuff!

Fashion: Buffy's feminine look continues with 3 very pretty floral dresses.  Has the short short skirt/dress look finally gone? *cross fingers*.  Her lipstick/lipgloss is also very on point.

Body Count: 3

Season 3 Episode 4: Beauty and the Beasts

A brutal death occurs - Shock!  Horror! (really you would think that everyone is use to it by now considering how many there are in this town) and it's up to Buffy and the gang to figure out who or what is the killer.

Not unsurprisingly the list of suspects is long... and weird.  Could it be Oz the werewolf boy whose escaped from his cage?  Or is Angel who is back from the dead while still being dead (I know, it's confusing) and really not himself?  Or could it possibly be someone else?

Buffy Girl Detective is on the case.

Fav Quote: Oz: “I may be a cold-blooded jelly donut, but my timing’s impeccable.”

Fashion:  More femininity with pretty pastel colours and hair clips.  I'm totally loving this whole new look for Buffy.  Giles also rocks the shirt, tie and waistcoat look.  Very dapper and rather sexy.

Body Count: 4

Season 3 Episode 5: Homecoming 

Sometimes you just want to be a normal girl.  Date, have friends, kill vampires and be the homecoming queen.  Is it really too much to ask?

Probably considering this is Sunnydale after all.

Fav Quote: Giles: I suspect the, uh, finger food contains... actual fingers. 

Fashion: Girly looks galore, and there are now even cardigans.  Can I just have Buffy's entire wardrobe from this season.  Please and thank you.

Body Count: 0

The Viewing Files: Truth and Sacrifice

And we're at the end of season 2.  Excuse me while I'll go off sobbing into a corner.
 
Season 2 Episode 19: I Only Have Eyes For You

As if going to Sunnydale High isn't all ready bad enough now the school is being haunted by a pissed off ghost.  

Giles, still mourning the death of the woman he loved, begins to think that it might be her, trying to communicate from the after life.  Buffy and the gang though think that it's something a lot more serious and soon Buffy and Angelus find themselves compelled to reenact a ghostly tragedy of desperate love.

Fav Quote: Xander: "'Something weird is going on.' Isn't that our school motto?" 

Fashion: Nothing really memorable so can we just talk about how awesome Spike's look has been the entire season.  Long black leather coat, red shirt and the slicked back blonde hair.  Totally works in every way.

Body Count: 1 teacher

Season 2 Episode 20: Go Fish

It's the fish episode.

Or the one where Xander goes undercover and joins the swim team in an effort to help Buffy find out who... or what is eating the team members, leaving behind just their skins.

Unfortunately Xander might have more to worry about than whether something is going to eat him...

Fav Quote: Buffy: "So something ripped him open and ate out his insides?"
Willow: "Like an Oreo cookie. Well, except for, you know... without the chocolatey cookie goodness." 

Fashion: Blue again seems to be the theme.  A sort of royal blue this time with Giles's shirt and Buffy's simple v neck top.  Gorgeous colour.

Body Count: 2 Sunnydale High staff

Season 2 Episode 21: Becoming Part 1

Flashbacks reveal how Angelus/Angel come into being just as Willow and Buffy find the spell that will restore his soul.

Angelus though has other plans...

Fav Quote: Cordelia: How about because you're a tiny, impotent Nazi with a bug up his butt the size of an emu?
Buffy: Sums it up. 

Fashion:  Buffy wears her hair up for a lot of this episode. It's sort of chignon thingy held up with what look like pencils and some loose side bangs that just soften the whole thing.

Body Count: 3

Season 2 Episode 22: Becoming Part 2

Carrying on from where the previous episode left off Angelus's path of death and destruction has left Willow in hospital, Giles his prisoner and Buffy on the run from the police. Just when it looks like things can't get worse Spike shows with info about Angelus's real plan and a proposition for The Slayer.  

In the end Buffy is left facing the choice of making the ultimate sacrifice.

Fav Quote: Spike: The truth is, I like this world. You've got... dog racing, Manchester United. And you've got people. Billions of people walking around like Happy Meals with legs. It's all right here.

Fashion:  With everything that is happening in these last two episodes it's kind of hard to concentrate of the fashion aspect.  Buffy though rocks the black beanie in her undercover incognito look so there is that.

Body Count: 1

The Viewing Files: Where Giles Breaks My Heart

Witches, Werewolves and heartbreak is what it's all about in this post and I'm suffering a serious case of wanting to give Giles a hug.

Season 2 Episode 15: Phases

And the Sunnydale dating curse strikes again when the Slayer and the Slayerettes find out that Willow's boyfriend Oz is a werewolf and there's a hunter in town determined to add yet another Werewolf kill to his tally.

It's hard enough running around in the woods trying to stop the hunter but with the full moon looming they also have to contend with one very hairy werewolf who has a serious case of bite me.

Fav Quote: Willow: Great. I'll give Xander a call. What's his number? Oh, yeah, 1- 800-I'm-Dating-A-Skanky-Ho. 

Fashion: Giles is still rockin' the sweater vest and tie look while Willow is happily flaunting her yellow happy face pack back.

Body Count: 1

Season 2 Episode 16: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

It's Valentine's Day and Xander and Cordelia's romance hits the skids when Cordelia dumps him on the big night due to being worried about dating him and losing her 'popular' girl status.

Xander, naturally of course, doesn't take his dumping well and in a mad scheme of revenge gets Amy the witch to put a love spell on Cordelia.  Only thing is it makes every women in a 100 mile radius suddenly desperate to be Xander's one true love, even if it means killing him and everyone other woman to prove their love.

Personally I would have just gone with the time honoured tradition of eating my weight in ice cream and chocolate while crying over sad movies.

Fav Quote: Drusilla: How do you feel about eternal life?
Xander: We couldn't just start with a coffee?  A movie, maybe?

Fashion: It's the blue shirt brigade with both Xander and Giles looking mighty swoony.  Xander also wears black again and can I just say that whoever in charge of his wardrobe for this episode should totally dress him all the time.  On the other side what the hell was Buffy thinking?  Short short leopard skirt, v neck black top and messy blonde hair made her look like a 1970s barmaid at some divey bar.

Body Count: 1

Season 2 Episode 17: Passion

Angelus continues his torment of Buffy by stalking her and friends and freaking them out with the 'love' tokens he leaves behind.  Meanwhile Miss Calendar is trying to make amends for betraying them all and is working on a spell to restore Angelus's soul.

Angelus though has other plans and I'm left a sobbing mess as he shows them what passion is really about.

Can we just have a hug now? 

Note:  The filming of this episode is just so spot on especially the emotional scenes and Anthony Head's (aka Giles) just nails it in every way. 

Fav Quote: Angelus: Passion is the source of our finest moments: the joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief. 

Fashion: And the 1970s barmaid look continues - this time with a tiger striped top and white pants.  Just no on all accounts.

Body Count: 3 residents of Sunnydale and 1 teacher

Season 2 Episode 18: Killed By Death

Buffy falls ill with a serious case of the flu and ends up in the one place she truly fears... hospital.   But even a sick Slayer is never off duty as she finds herself battling a monster that only kids can see.

Is it all a hallucination?  Is there really something lurking the halls and killing children?

Fav Quote: Buffy: I'll check Backer's office. See if I can find any post-its marked, "Why a monster might want me dead."

Fashion: As it mostly takes place inside a hospital there's not much going on in the fashion stakes.  I'll just keep on swooning over Giles and his glasses.  Okay?

Body Count:  1 doctor

The Viewing Files: Dating Is The Worse

And we're half way through season 2 and it's about to get really emotional.

Season 2 Episode 11: Ted

Buffy's mom gets a boyfriend and everyone loves him except Buffy, a feeling she finds out is mutual when he threatens her. 

Things only get worse when a confrontation with him ends in his accidentally death.  Now Buffy is facing the suspicions of the police, the shock and grief of her mother and her own despair at having taken a human life.

Naturally the Scooby gang decide to help and find out the Ted may not be the man that everyone thought they knew.

Fav Quote: Buffy: Can you say 'sucking chest wound?'

Fashion: Willow's on form in the cutest outfit and rockin' the hat look and Buffy's stonewash dungarees make another appearance.  I've noticed she seems to wears these when she's feeling down or depressed.  Which is odd.

Body Count: None

Season 2 Episode 12: Bad Eggs

Health Class gets a whole new meaning when the eggs that everyone are given to raise as a parental exercise takes a typical 'Sunnydale is the worse place to live' spin and hatch, revealing mind-controlling face huggers that plan on taken over the town.

Before anyone can say 'Sigourney Weaver' Buffy is after the thing that controls the little horrors and finds herself underground and having to battle the monster mother from hell.

Can we just say eww and gross now.

Note:  Buffy names her egg Egbert which is totally on point.

Fav Quote: Cordelia: "It's an egg, Buffy, it doesn't emote."

Fashion:  Another blah kind of fashion episode.

Body Count: None

Season 2 Episode 13: Surprise

Buffy's birthday is just around the corner and the gang are plotting and planning to ensure that she can have at least one normal day in her life even if she is having frightening dreams foretelling that something terrible is about to happen.

Can't a girl ever catch a break?  

Probably not when one lives on the Hellmouth and Spike and Dru are scheming something big.

The something big turns out to be a demon named The Judge, a being that can cleanse the Earth of humanity.  All they have to do is to put all it's body pieces together and hey presto one big bad.

As Buffy and Angel fight to stop their plan their relationship moves closer and closer to it's inevitable next step.

Fav Quote:Buffy: You think he's too old 'cause he's a senior? Please. My boyfriend had a bicentennial.

Fashion: Once again Willow is rockin' the hat look.  I totally love it and wish I could wear hats.  Sadly there's not a hat on the planet that looks good on me.

Body Count: None

Season 2 Episode 14: Innocence 

Birthdays suck, sex is bad and Buffy is an emotional wreck after Angel turns into Angelus, the demon with an angelic face and it's all because of her and their night together and the secrets Miss Calendar kept from them all.

With Angelus now on the Dark Side and tapping into his hidden Vader the gang have to work together to stop him and The Judge as they team up to annihilate humanity once and for all and Buffy has to pull herself together long enough to bring down the man she loves. 

Fav Quote: Spike: No more of this 'I've got a soul' crap?
Angelus: What can I say? I was going through a phase.

Fashion: Buffy and her mom's sweats and socks look at the end of this episode look so comfortable and just the sort of thing I would wear after a day of slaying.

Body Count: 1

The Viewing Files: There Can Be Only One

Racing through the episodes now... mostly because the seasons are now longer so there's a lot to get through.

Season 2 Episode 6: Halloween

There's no such thing as quiet time for a slayer even on Halloween.  Roped into to taking some kids trick-or-treating things take a turn for the weird when everyone becomes exactly like the costume they are wearing all courtesy of a spell cast by the new bad boy in town Ethan Rayne.

Suddenly Buffy is a helpless 18th century damsel and it's up to Xander (whose now a soldier) and Willow (whose now a ghost) to come to the rescue with the help of Giles who shares a history with Ethan.

Hello Ripper indeed.

Note: Giles's nickname is Ripper.  And he's totally badass.  I could get seriously behind this.

Fav Quote: Cordelia: Oh, he’s a vampire. Of course, but the cuddly kind...like a “care bear with fangs”?

Fashion: Willow totally rocks the black leather skirt, crop top and boots looks. I love her hair and makeup too.

Body Count: None

Season 2 Episode 7: Lie To Me

Ford, an old school friend of Buffy's turns up as a transfer student to Sunnydale High.  Of course this being Sunnydale and all no one is surprised to learn that Ford has a secret agenda and that it involves a deal with the devil... aka Spike.

The Sunnydale curse strikes yet again and Buffy is left having to decide a friend's fate.

Fav Quote: Angel: Things used to be pretty simple. A hundred years, just hanging out, feelin' guilty... I really honed my brooding skills.

Fashion: Weirdly nothing stands out in this episode.  It's all just a bit ho hum.

Body Count: 1

Season 2 Episode 8: The Dark Age

Just as Giles and Miss Calender are getting together Giles's past catches up with him when he finds out that 3 friends from his youth have died in horrible circumstances and that Ethan Rayne is back in town. 

It seems that Giles aka Ripper has more secrets than either Buffy or the Scoobies knew about it.  A secret that could have some serious consequences for him and Miss Calendar.

Fav Quote: Ethan: Well, I hate to mutilate and run.

Fashion:  Just when you thought you had seen the last of the short short skirt it's back.  Also: Buffy gets a tattoo, if only temporarily.

Body Count: 4, though none of them are students of Sunnydale or even live in Sunnydale.

Season 2 Episode 9: What's My Line Part 1

Career Week arrives and Buffy is suffering from a major case of the blues as she realises that her future life is probably going to be one of living off the Unemployment Benefit, isolation and endless night 'work'.

If that wasn't depressing enough Spike and Dru send 3 assassins to keep Buffy off their backs while they plan something major and another Slayer turns up unexpectedly.

Fav Quote: Buffy: Okay, then a regular kid and her cradle-robbing, creature-of-the-night boyfriend.
 
Fashion: I'm in love with the pinky purple cardigan that Buffy wears at the beginning.  So my kind of thing.

Body Count: 1 housewife

Season 2 Episode 10: What's My Line Part 2

Carrying on from the last episode Buffy and Kendra, The Vampire Slayer get to know each other and swap stories while discussing with Giles how there possibly be 2 slayers at the same time.

Answer: Buffy's 1 minute of biting the dust caused for a new Slayer to be summoned.

Spike and Dru's big plan is finally revealed and it's a race to stop them and save Angel.

Fav Quote: Buffy: You know. No kick-o, no fight-o?

Fashion: Dungarees for Willow again, this time in red, while Buffy it seems has taken to wearing a baggy plaid shirt (which seriously reminds me of Sam and Dean)

Body Count: None

The Viewing Files: I See Dead People

And onto season 2 it is.

Looking back on season 1 you could pretty much get away with just watching episodes 1, 2, 7 and 12 (which are probably my favourites anyway) and miss the others which are mostly fillers; some good and some not so good (though I have a soft spot for The Witch and The Pack).

Buffy's dress sense for the season was pretty much short short skirts or short short shift dresses except when she was fighting then it was trousers all the way.  I'm guessing no one wants to flash their knickers when they are slaying.  The short short shift dress and boots combo appeared a lot.  Weirdly I don't remember this being a look in 1997.  It seems more late 60's early 70s so maybe Buffy is into retro vintage dressing or buys her clothes from the local Op shop.  Do they even have Op shops in the USA?  That aside it was kind of cool seeing all the super bad outfits; from Giles horrible sweater vest to Willow's grandma pinafore dress.

Overall it's easy to see that Joss and Co were still finding their feet writing and story wise as was the cast but luckily in the end it all turned out to be an entertaining season.

Now on to seeing what the next season will bring...

Season 2 Episode 1: When She Was Bad

Buffy's back from her summer hols and feeling kind of bitchy.  Personally I feel she's got every reason to.  After all she did die.  That's gotta suck right there. Off course the team notice Buffy's less that cheery manner but can't seem to figure out quite why she is feeling so peeved.  Clueless much.

Still in the end Buffy taps into her inner bad ass self and works through her emotions with the only way she knows how - killing some vamps and smashing up a pile of bones into chalk dust.  

Sometimes you just have to deal. 

PS: Giles and Miss Calendar are totally cute together.  Sexy flirting all round.

Fav Quote: Snyder: That Summers girl. I smell trouble. I smell expulsion, and just the faintest aroma of jail. 

Fashion: Buffy has a new hair cut, it swishes and everything.  I want that hair.  And not in a creepy way.  The short short skirts and shift dresses also seem to be gone - thank God.

Body Count: Zero

Snyder: That Summers girl. I smell trouble. I smell expulsion, and just the faintest aroma of jail.

Read more at: https://transcripts.foreverdreaming.org/viewtopic.php?f=122&t=8316&sid=84cf59308c6b81af329aba66f6d7a030

Season 2 Episode 2: Some Assembly Required

Buffy tries to encourage Giles to ask Miss Calendar out on a date and then informs him that she found an empty grave and not of the vampire kind.

Meanwhile Cordelia is trying to steer clear of 2 science geeks who seem to be stalking her and not in the 'I-wanna-make-you-my-girlfriend-way'.

It quickly becomes apparent that the empty grave and the 2 geeks have more in common than anyone thought.

Frankstein's Bride anyone?

Fav Quote: Giles:  Grave robbing? That’s new. Interesting. 
Buffy:  I *know* you meant to say gross and disturbing. 
Giles:  Yes, yes, yes of course. Uh, terrible thing.

Fashion: Giles sweater vest look is really on form here (they're certainly an improvement over the previous vest) and Buffy wears her hair up for quite a bit of the episode which I also liked.

Body Count: 1 (although technically as he was already dead I'm not sure if he completely counts)

Season 2 Episode 3: School Hard

Just when Buffy thought her life couldn't get any worse what with being threaten with expulsion, her falling grades and having to arrange the Parent's Night get together, a new pair of vampires arrive in town to cause all kinds of chaos.

Yep Spike aka Blondie Bear finally makes his appearance and can we all swoon now?

Swooning aside Spike and Dru bring a whole new level of bad ass to town and soon Buffy finds that Parent's Night really is the worse.

Fav Quote: Buffy (seeing Spike with a long metal pipe): Do we really need weapons for this?  
Spike: I just like them. They make me feel all manly. 

Fashion: Dungarees for the win.  First for Willow with her cool black pair combined with the cute plaits and second for Buffy who goes for stonewash denim.  

Body Count: 4 

Season 2 Episode 4: Inca Mummy Girl 

It's foreign student exchange time and Buffy soon has a new roommate, a South American girl named Ampata.

Unfortunately Ampata has kind of big secret which could really put a damper on the whole can we be friends things. Strike 2 for Xander in falling for the wrong girl, yet again.

On a side note we meet Oz for the first time.  A cool, laid back kind of guy who from a far is intrigued by the cute mystery girl aka Willow.  Is one of this team finally going to have some luck in the love stakes?

Fav Quote: Buffy: "One day I'm gonna live in a town where evil curses are just generally ruled out without even saying it."

Fashion: The dungarees are back again and I totally loved Willow's blue hat.

Body Count: 1 museum curator

Season 2 Episode 5: Reptile Boy

Fed up with kill kill kill, slay slay slay Buffy agrees to go with Cordelia to a frat party.

Of course nothing every goes right in Buffy's life and soon she and Cordelia find themselves tied up and waiting to be sacrificed to a snake demon.  And people said frat parties were all about drinking and sex...

Fav Quote: Giles: "Yes, and you were very nearly devoured by a giant demon snake. The words 'let that be a lesson' are a tad redundant at this juncture."

Fashion: I loved pretty much every look Buffy has in this episode - sheer tops seem to be in and I liked all three of different ones she worn.  The skirts are definitely longer too.  And can we just talk for a minute about the hair?  There were curls at the end and it was just so cute and pretty - loved it.

Body Count: 2