This has always been in my personal Top 10 of BtVS episodes. When people ask me to explain why I’m such a hardcore fan of Buffy’s character you just got to show them PG.
I think this is probably Xander's best episode in the whole series, actually. Yeah he does act nasty towards Buffy when she rejects him but it only makes his later actions even more heroic, IMO. This also happens to be Angel's worst episode in BtVS so that's an interesting contrast. I'm not sure if you know this but in the shooting script there's actually a scene where Angel wakes up and Collin (The Anointed One) is sitting at the end of his bed;
INT. ANGEL'S APT - NIGHT.
CLOSE ON: ANGEL:
as he wakes suddenly from a nightmare, lying in his bed. He looks around, disoriented. Then he looks down.
Collin is sitting at the foot of his bed. Cross-legged, staring quietly at him.
Angel pulls himself slowly into a sitting position, never taking his eyes off the boy.
COLLIN He said you lived like one of them. I don't understand it.
ANGEL Maybe when you're older.
COLLIN People are weak. They're stupid. Why would you want to be one?
ANGEL Did he send you?
The boy nods.
COLLIN He's coming. Soon. Stay out of his way.
ANGEL Why should I?
COLLIN Because he doesn't like you anymore.
The boy slides off the bed, starts to leave. Turns back to Angel.
COLLIN You know what he could do to you...
ANGEL (a trace of fear) Yes...
COLLIN No you don't.
He leaves. Angel doesn't move.
I think this is supposed to connect with Angel's line in The Harvest that "he's afraid." If they had kept this scene in the episode it wouldn't have made Angel any more heroic, but it would have put his behaviour in a totally different light.
I actually really like S1. It does have a couple of crappy episodes (IRYJ being the worst, IMO) but it has a lot of heart and it's nice seeing Buffy being so open and carefree.
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I think this is probably Xander's best episode in the whole series, actually. Yeah he does act nasty towards Buffy when she rejects him but it only makes his later actions even more heroic, IMO. This also happens to be Angel's worst episode in BtVS so that's an interesting contrast. I'm not sure if you know this but in the shooting script there's actually a scene where Angel wakes up and Collin (The Anointed One) is sitting at the end of his bed;
INT. ANGEL'S APT - NIGHT.
CLOSE ON: ANGEL:
as he wakes suddenly from a nightmare, lying in his bed. He looks around, disoriented. Then he looks down.
Collin is sitting at the foot of his bed. Cross-legged, staring quietly at him.
Angel pulls himself slowly into a sitting position, never taking his eyes off the boy.
COLLIN
He said you lived like one of them.
I don't understand it.
ANGEL
Maybe when you're older.
COLLIN
People are weak. They're stupid.
Why would you want to be one?
ANGEL
Did he send you?
The boy nods.
COLLIN
He's coming. Soon. Stay out of
his way.
ANGEL
Why should I?
COLLIN
Because he doesn't like you
anymore.
The boy slides off the bed, starts to leave. Turns back to Angel.
COLLIN
You know what he could do to
you...
ANGEL
(a trace of fear)
Yes...
COLLIN
No you don't.
He leaves. Angel doesn't move.
I think this is supposed to connect with Angel's line in The Harvest that "he's afraid." If they had kept this scene in the episode it wouldn't have made Angel any more heroic, but it would have put his behaviour in a totally different light.
I actually really like S1. It does have a couple of crappy episodes (IRYJ being the worst, IMO) but it has a lot of heart and it's nice seeing Buffy being so open and carefree.