Note: If you see me pushing on the left side of my face I promise I'm okay, I had a very bad headache this episode and putting pressure relieved it. Sorry :D -Mikey
As someone who suffers from severe headaches (to the point of being on 2 neuro meds, a monthly injection, and nerve blocks in the head every 3 months - and I only say all that so you know I get it... it's not a competition people!).... I hope you are feeling better and that you don't get them too often! Make sure to take care of yourself!!
I honestly think that this 1200-year-old tradition is because if a Slayer makes it to their 18th birthday the Watchers are afraid they can't control the Slayer and this is actually to kill them off.
The usual theory is not that they are afraid of a slayer, but that they do prefer slayers to be controllable - so, if a slayer dies during a test, that's actually a preferred outcome. Here it might not be, given that Faith is next in line, and I'm not sure she can be classified as “controllable” in any meaningful way.
Yeah, if she survives, she’s easier to control. Also keeps the watcher from getting “too close” to the slayer or breaking any bonds they may have made over the last two years. Makes the watcher easier to control too.
Yeah. As others have pointed out, I always saw this "test" as a means of eliminating a Slayer that happens to survive to their 18th birthday before they become an adult and start questioning the way things are done. Essentially, it was a means of keeping child soldiers that could easily be controlled. Also! On the topic of Buffy's friends doing nothing for her birthday. Firstly, as was pointed out, she told them she didn't want a party. Secondly, she told them that her dad was taking her to the ice show. Therefore, it's possible they did something for her AFTER the actual day of her birthday that we didn't see. They certainly wouldn't plan something the day they're thinking that her father was taking her out and she was super excited about it. It doesn't seem like she told any of them about the cancellation since she was still trying to get Giles to take her instead.
giles was fighting for buffy and she saw that. giles lost his job in the process and she saw that. the other fella spoke of his fathers love and buffy heard that. buffy forgave giles by the end because of those things. him dabbing her wound was him apologising again and her letting him was her accepting it. not sure what else joe is looking for. these things weren't exactly said out loud but i thing we can deduce them from what we saw.
@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192 It was a pretty massive betrayal, so I can see if Joe expected... more, so to speak. Buffy was let down by both her "father" figures this episode.
Yeah I doubt that Giles understood what was really happening at first, it seems like they keep him on a need to know basis. He was probably told it would make her stronger, but he regretted it when he realized that they wanted to send her to her death and on her birthday. She's talking about college, she's gonna start working to pay bills, she might start a family... We've seen Giles encouraging Buffy to get a higher education, being excited for her, seeing her as an actual person rather than a weapon. The Council wants a slayer who's fully devoted without zero responsibility on their part so I agree with people saying that it's their way of "retiring" slayers before they lose control. Giles has shown that he does act in her best interest so I believe him and his only mistake was his blind trust in the Council.
This episode always gave me the chills and has my favorite quote from Cordelia. Her "of course" was automatic without a second thought or reason needed. She grew sooo much
That’s one of my favorite Cordelia moments. You can see her line of thinking go from the normal,‘everything is fine,’ to an awareness that the circumstances are more intense than she realizes. She changes her demeanor in under a second. It’s such a great acting job by Charisma Carpenter!
One of my personal favourites i love the horror vibes the music score and the villain (discounting yhe watchers council) the ending between Giles and Buffy always gives me the feels especially after her actual father lets his daughter down .
Helpless was a very good episode exploring trust and betrayal. Many were so angry watching this at the time that Giles could do such a thing. You can see the anger Buffy has towards both Giles and the highly irritating Council. This episode reminds us of course that Buffy is indeed human, and all the weaknesses and fears that go along with that. Even though she passes her test, we still feel cheated for her you can see Giles hates doing it too, and has nothing but contempt for Quentin Travers. This episode actually was a watershed for Buffy as she was now truly leaving her adolescence behind and becoming an adult. A very touching scene at the end when Giles tends to Buffy's wounds. A very good but disturbing episode.
You gotta believe that the vamp who turned a serial killer was very deliberate about his choice. Sounds like something Angelus would have done back in the day 😈
The Buffy friend group couldn't plan any birthday celebration after school because she told them she would be with her dad. It's possible they did something at lunch break, or gave her cards and gifts at school, or planned something for the next weekend and the writer just didn't include that in the script.
Buffy needed to hear what the head Watcher said about Giles, to help her forgive him for what he'd done to her. And she let him tend her wounds after that.
This episode clearly shows that to the council the slayers are disposable. When one dies the Next one is called so of the slayer survives the test great if not the next one will be called.
It’s funny how all physical diseases disappear when people are “turned”, but not mental diseases. The vampire still needs his anti-psychotics. Oh, and some vampires don’t loose their visual problems: they have to continue wearing glasses (but not all)
Regarding the pills Kralik is taking I always assumed it was some kind of opiate along the lines of morphine, because it was pretty common in the past to regularly give them out to patients in asylums before SSRi style meds and because he seems highly addicted with his main physical symptom seeming to just be withdrawal symptoms. And the pills don't seem to make a difference to him mentally.
imo it's not that they want the strongest slayer possible, it's that teenage girls are easier to control than fully adult women. You were just discussing how valuable Buffy is because of her experience--what would a 20 year old slayer learn and grow? 25--think how strong she's be. I think the council as at best lukewarm on Buffy doing well. They definitely want to start over, but not because the want the worthiest, strongest, most capable slayer.
Yeah they don't have to pay them, they get a lot of their free time and who cares about their education or future? A grown slayer would ask for vacations, a salary, accommodations, a budget for weapons and witchcraft supplies, health insurance... They benefit from slayers, their livelihoods depend on their existence, but they have zero respect for them. If a slayer's pregnant they can't use her. And if she decides to retire then they might have to wait for a natural death so they invented that test to avoid all that trouble. It makes sense.
Different stories have different rules for vampires on film. On Buffy they just appear there. On, say, Moonlight, vampires do not appear on old-school photos (presumably, including polaroids), but do show up on digital images.
This is such a tough episode to watch but Kralik is a highlight - he may be a psychotic serial killing vampire, but god is he funny while he's being evil.
OMG I had forgotten Jeff Kober was in this episode which reminds me to recommend, Kindred: The Embraced from -96 (based on vampire the masquerade) He played a Nosferatu in it. Unfurtunately the series only got 1 season due to one of the mains, Mark Frankel, died in a motercycle accident, same year. It was a really good show! So totally recommend if you guys can find it somewhere! I still have it on VHS lol
I love how people believe that it's not really Giles, because we can't see him betraying Buffy. I still wish we had a spinoff with Kralik's background story. He's such a great villain. I'd put Spike in the box, and let Kralik be the big bad for a whole season =D Also, I love the score in this one, super creepy.
Another excellent commentary and analysis of a challenging episode.,So much happens we forget that Buffy’s father blows off her 18th birthday( quarterly reports over your only child’s 18th birthday…. Really!) So many theories but when in doubt, return to the theme of Buffy’s journey to being a woman. The Council represents the administrative state. The State has a mission that the public, the audience and reactors believe , is to protect society and fight a war.You even say that but that is never the the actual case. The entrenched power has one goal and that is to keep their power. The bureaucracy is supreme and the war must never be won. Winning means the need is gone and the bureaucracy can be dismantled. The purpose is to have plausible deniability in killing the Slayer that makes the 18th birthday. The Council hopes Buffy is killed, she nearly is, before the test. That’s why she is weakened before. Buffy is not to be told about the test and is supposed to be locked in without weapons and not knowing that a Vampire is within. Then the Vampire is a supercharged demon that is evil and has been starved. No 18 year old, weapon less, unsuspecting, and normal girl will come out alive. Then it’s time to get a new, ignorant, easy to control girl. Like foot soldiers drafted into an Army, let them die and the administration continues. No questions, new Slayer, new Watcher with only the Council wise to the real strategy. The Council has no concern for its people in the battle. Remember that Giles, in the battlefield, does not get invited to the retreats. What support do they give? But they make sure they continue. Then after Buffy survives? They replace Giles , do nothing for her, and say you passed a test and then leave: Why give a test if there is no purpose but to survive. Don’t believe anything that a bureaucratic system says unless it’s to maintain and perpetuate itself. The longer a Slayer stays alive the closer a Slayer starts to ask what’s the reason for The Council. When we watched this, my group all felt the same after discussing during the week . It ties into how Buffy has had to battle every government/ authority group. Principals, the police, The Mayor, and now The Watchers Council. The message is submit to authority and give up your individual freedom. The story from Anne and has been a theme all season.
Vampires have always shown up on film in this verse. In season 2 Giles came across a black and white photo of Drusilla. And when Spike had a vampire tape Buffy fighting with a camcorder, the vampire she was up against showed up on that film. They just don't cast reflections in real time. Its tiresome that so many of the fandom has decided that Xander should be the scapegoat. If it wasn't for Xander, I wouldn't have watched all 7 seasons.
Sometimes Xander does shitty things but he also does a lot of good. It annoys me too when fans jump on the Xander hate train. All the main characters have done questionable stuff but everybody jumps on Xander?
@@ImBigDave79 I am a Xander fan too. like you said everyone does good and bad. Everyone's character arc has some oscillations in it but, with one exception in the future, Xander's tend to be the biggest, most obvious, and most frequent. That makes him as a character, a lot less consistent. Oh yea, and he loves Buffy and hates Angel so the BAngel shippers hate him.
@@ImBigDave79 The attitude of the majority is absolutely exhausting and disheartening. At one time I would have said that Buffy was my 3rd favorite show of all time. However all the Xander hate in recent years has soured the Buffy-fandom experience for me. And now I'm not sure the show is even in my top 10. Xander is still my favorite character of all time though.
Guys, a whole lot of people think this centuries-long tradition isn't to weed out the weak. It's to get rid of young women who are starting to think for themselves and replace her with a younger, more easily controlled model.
Giles was the Ripper. He always felt like the Council gave him shit for it and he tried to do his best to prove those people wrong. Here he followed their orders blindly until he realized what was really going on. Now he knows that they're crooked and this was his chance to do the right thing. I think this was necessary to strengthen the father-daughter relationship they have. Giles is not perfect so I don't think this cancels out his character development, people do make mistakes.
It is a hot take, imo. "Buffy has done nothing wrong to her, you know. It's just Xander....and Willow, kinda." Kinda? They BOTH cheated on their partners. They BOTH hurt their (secondary characters) friends as well. They are both EQUALLY guilty, yet somehow everyone continuously hates on Xander for cheating but Willow gets mostly a pass. "Actually the whole friend group could have stayed together if, like, Xander wasn't there. Cause Cordelia wouldn't have, like, not stopped being friends with them...." "....it's just Xander keeping them apart." Once again blowing over Willow's role in this. So you think Cordelia would be cool with everyone else if Xander was gone? That she would be friends again with Willow, the girl who who was making out WITH Xander, simply because she's gotten back together with her own bf? Everything is Xander's fault, that's really your take on this? If my gf cheated on me with a friend, they'd both be kicked to the curb. Eventually there might be forgiveness for one or both, but probably not anytime soon. And trust is a whole other issue....
They both sucked equally for what they did, but, I think the reason people give Willow more of a pass than Xander is because she feels remorse. She attempts a de-lusting spell at first. She also says Cordelia belongs to the justified camp and should make them pay and pay etc, , whereas Xander shows pretty much no remorse and the line about how it's their fault for barging in. He may be joking and also may feel differently inside, but outwardly he acts like he did nothing wrong and Willow feels awful.
David Fury, as a freelance writer, wrote _Helpless_ with the intent that Giles would be rehired at the end, until it was realized the character could be explored more if he were fired. It initially panicked the freelance writer, who as a fan, realized he could have long lasting effects on the show even as said freelance writer. He explained this in a TH-cam interview of writers and cast members talking years after the show was over. The power trip the patriarchy social system The Watchers are on believe that they need to control the slayer. That is the underlying real reason for the test. The whole purpose of said real test is that if the slayers survive, The Watchers have a more obedient slayer to their cause, and if they don't, they can start afresh with a naïve, young girl who doesn't understand that she is being used to wage The Watchers war. There is something to be said about the idea behind the non-real test they clain it's all about, but without a guarantee of the slayer's safety (or permission), it isn't worth it. Buffy learning Angel stalked her is one of the few times she comes off way too close to Bella Swan. I think the only reason it doesn't entirely play that way is because of the mindset she's in at this time concerning her relationship with Angel. It's confused and she's supposed to be feeling that way. Hugging him while acknowledging it (and Angel's metaphor of how he feels) was gross. If she learned about his stalking before their break-up and was all right with it, it would be 100% Bella Swan and incredibly hard to defend. Considering Cordelia hasn't been in the group since Xander and Willow's betrayal, her line of "Of course" when Buffy asks to be driven home rings with so much more development than if she'd started off an ally. It's clever writing-wise that Buffy has no slayer strength, it's that her muscles, in general, are weak. If Buffy were to go to the cops, she wouldn't have to bend any truth around the keeping the mythology a secret. The same applies for Angel sleeping with Buffy. People who don't know about those two situations are going to see the human law problems, mythology notwithstanding. I don't think Giles making it up to Buffy is as important to the ending as the fact that because of Buffy's realization (due to Travers words) of "You have a father's love for the child" the healing process can begin. It also is helped by the fact that Hank is all but out at this point after not showing up for such a huge moment Buffy was looking forward to and that they had a tradition of before Sunnydale.
I'm with Joe - if Buffy didn't want a big party, cool, just hang out - but, you know, at least get some token gifts, maybe birthday cupcakes instead of a full birthday cake...but do something!
The Cruciamentum is a seriously counterproductive idea no matter how you slice it. A warrior rite of passage is a universal human thing, but part of being an elite warrior is the willingness to undertake a life threateningly arduous test. Unless participation is voluntary it undermines trust. You're not looking for cannon fodder or robots...contrary to Whedon's notion of the military. Telling her about the trial, giving her a chance to get serious about training and operating, and then voluntarily submitting to having her powers removed would have resulted in a much more deadly and focused Slayer. Because Buffy NEEDED a wake up call. She's a little sloppy and unmotivated in training. She skips out on it and she tries to show out too much by mouthing off to the vampires before killing them. That nearly got her killed at the beginning of the ep. The problem with the fan theory that the Council deliberately kills the Slayers off to keep them "controllable for the Patriarchy" has several logical problems. First and foremost: In what way has the Council shown any real interest in controlling either Buffy or Faith? Were they going to kill Kendra, the perfect samurai? Secondly, what if she prevails? Now you've truly pissed off the deadliest human alive, essentially a tigress with a 3 digit IQ and opposable thumbs. What's the upside to that? Third, in battle, experience is a huge force multiplier, pretty much the only thing that mitigates the influence of pure chance. Every fight that a Slayer wins makes her many times more valuable than any new Slayer. The simple fact of surviving to her 18th birthday is a feat that indicates how formidable she is. So far, none we've seen have. Buffy died at 16 and Kendra at 17. Faith is 17 and a loose cannon. Finally, The Slayer is a nearly priceless asset. Buffy herself has prevented multiple extinction level events and saved countless innocents. It's a great episode with excellent performances by SMG, Head and Jeff Kober(Kralik). I suspect that not much thought was given to the Council during series development. In the movie, both Slayer and Watcher were just reincarnated through the centuries. Prior to this they've been mostly a useless background idea.
the reason she almost gets killed at the beginning of the episode is because she didn't have her powers, not because she was showing off, although she does do that.
I really hope you guys watch the OG buffy movie once you are done with the series so you can see what inspired them to do the show. Personally I love it cause it has the best ever over the top death scene, like ever! by Paul Reubens aka Peewee Herman lol Its from -92 & has great actors like Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Hilary Swank, David Arquette, Kristy Swanson as buffy & Luke Perry 😀
Ok but why doesn't Buffy go get Angel when she needs to rescue her mom? He still has powers! I know the episode wouldn't have worked thematically but this plothole always bugged me. Especially when they explicitly included a line at the start saying Faith is off and away to answer why she isn't called on to help.
This episode was one of the more brutal ones for me, and hard to watch, especially early on. I kind of always wondered thou, why faith didnt have to go thru this? or maybe she is younger than buffy
The watchers . . . .yea. Counsel of a-holes. As a bonus, we get to some Jeff Kober action as the vamp. He is in a few other episodes as other characters. Also in Sons of Anarchy, Tank Girl, at least once in nearly every tv show from the 90's until now.
This is the main reason slayers traditionally had a short life span. The Counsel can't control adults as easily as children. It's a stupid and cruel and frankly evil tradition. One thing that is never explained tho is why a Vampire needs Medication.... I never thought it was an anti-psychotic because he seems like he's taking it for pain?. I've also noticed that even when she's not depowered, she's a really bad shot with the crossbow.
This is, in my opinion, probably one of the worst episodes of the entire series, mostly because of the way Giles acts so massively out of character in a way which would destroy, probabaly permanently, his relationship with Buffy and the Scoobies. If the writer's names weren't on it I'd assume they'd never actually seen an episode of Buffy. There's simply no way Giles would betray Buffy like that; they'd sit down together and come up with a way of making the Council think that the Cruciamentum had gone ahead as planned while keeping Buffy as safe as possible and fully informed at every step. What makes it worse is that there's the germ of a good and interesting idea in there - how does the Council treat Slayers? - but it gets totally lost in the dreadful writing. Fortunately everyone's completely forgotten about it by next episode and it's never referred to again as far as I remember.
It doesn't directly reference this episode, but there is one a little bit later that this sets the stage for. "I don't think they know which way i'm facing"
Yea....Angel's revelation about loving Buffy before she was called as a slayer is sweet. ....untill you realize that was a 240 year old falling in love with a 14 year old....then the ick factor really starts to sink in.
God damn. You could at least make it complete and mention that he is technically a corpse, and what it means for Buffy's love for him. Seriously, why are people so obsessed with age gap, when it's clear Buffy is an equal partner in the relationship?
Angel is a 21/22 year old young adult that just happened to be alive for over 200 years. He doesn’t AGE! Buffy was 15 not 14 when she was called as a slayer and this whole relationship is consensual and nothing malicious about it from Angels part. This obsession about not being able to let yourself enjoy the tragic love story of these two great characters is so disappointing. Eventually you’ll have to get over it because no matter what happens going forward, Angel is Buffy’s first and TRUE love. No spoilers so I’ll end it there.
Note: If you see me pushing on the left side of my face I promise I'm okay, I had a very bad headache this episode and putting pressure relieved it.
Sorry :D
-Mikey
As someone who suffers from severe headaches (to the point of being on 2 neuro meds, a monthly injection, and nerve blocks in the head every 3 months - and I only say all that so you know I get it... it's not a competition people!).... I hope you are feeling better and that you don't get them too often! Make sure to take care of yourself!!
I had sinus surgery on the left sinuses and when they act up it's bad! Thank you for understanding
@@732ReviewCrew Sounds awful!! Best wishes!
I honestly think that this 1200-year-old tradition is because if a Slayer makes it to their 18th birthday the Watchers are afraid they can't control the Slayer and this is actually to kill them off.
Good theory!
The usual theory is not that they are afraid of a slayer, but that they do prefer slayers to be controllable - so, if a slayer dies during a test, that's actually a preferred outcome. Here it might not be, given that Faith is next in line, and I'm not sure she can be classified as “controllable” in any meaningful way.
@@migmit I didn't say they were afraid of them. I said they were afraid they couldn't control them.
@@ThePharaz Right, I misread.
Yeah, if she survives, she’s easier to control. Also keeps the watcher from getting “too close” to the slayer or breaking any bonds they may have made over the last two years. Makes the watcher easier to control too.
This is one of the most underrated episodes. It's quite brilliant. And SMG's acting is particularly fantastic.
Yeah. As others have pointed out, I always saw this "test" as a means of eliminating a Slayer that happens to survive to their 18th birthday before they become an adult and start questioning the way things are done. Essentially, it was a means of keeping child soldiers that could easily be controlled.
Also! On the topic of Buffy's friends doing nothing for her birthday. Firstly, as was pointed out, she told them she didn't want a party. Secondly, she told them that her dad was taking her to the ice show. Therefore, it's possible they did something for her AFTER the actual day of her birthday that we didn't see. They certainly wouldn't plan something the day they're thinking that her father was taking her out and she was super excited about it. It doesn't seem like she told any of them about the cancellation since she was still trying to get Giles to take her instead.
giles was fighting for buffy and she saw that. giles lost his job in the process and she saw that. the other fella spoke of his fathers love and buffy heard that. buffy forgave giles by the end because of those things. him dabbing her wound was him apologising again and her letting him was her accepting it. not sure what else joe is looking for. these things weren't exactly said out loud but i thing we can deduce them from what we saw.
Yeah, I’m not really sure what he was expecting to see.
Ya, if she was still mad at giles, she wouldn't have let him treat her wound.
@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192 It was a pretty massive betrayal, so I can see if Joe expected... more, so to speak. Buffy was let down by both her "father" figures this episode.
Yeah I doubt that Giles understood what was really happening at first, it seems like they keep him on a need to know basis. He was probably told it would make her stronger, but he regretted it when he realized that they wanted to send her to her death and on her birthday. She's talking about college, she's gonna start working to pay bills, she might start a family... We've seen Giles encouraging Buffy to get a higher education, being excited for her, seeing her as an actual person rather than a weapon. The Council wants a slayer who's fully devoted without zero responsibility on their part so I agree with people saying that it's their way of "retiring" slayers before they lose control. Giles has shown that he does act in her best interest so I believe him and his only mistake was his blind trust in the Council.
This episode always gave me the chills and has my favorite quote from Cordelia. Her "of course" was automatic without a second thought or reason needed. She grew sooo much
She's great
That’s one of my favorite Cordelia moments. You can see her line of thinking go from the normal,‘everything is fine,’ to an awareness that the circumstances are more intense than she realizes. She changes her demeanor in under a second. It’s such a great acting job by Charisma Carpenter!
I see it as that test finally finishing off any slayers who managed to survive to 18 years.
The council is a goldmine of social commentary. The more we see them the more I think about dynamics that are similar in our world.
Outside of Spike and Drusilla, this guy has always been my favorite vampire.
Yes he is super creepy.
The only problem here, I think, is that Kralik was too cool of a villain for just one episode.
100% correct. He was great and had jokes
One of my personal favourites i love the horror vibes the music score and the villain (discounting yhe watchers council) the ending between Giles and Buffy always gives me the feels especially after her actual father lets his daughter down .
One of my favorite episodes! And Cordelia is amazing as always. “You have a father’s love for the child.” 😭 Always gives me chills
Helpless was a very good episode exploring trust and betrayal. Many were so angry watching this at the time that Giles could do such a thing. You can see the anger Buffy has towards both Giles and the highly irritating Council. This episode reminds us of course that Buffy is indeed human, and all the weaknesses and fears that go along with that. Even though she passes her test, we still feel cheated for her you can see Giles hates doing it too, and has nothing but contempt for Quentin Travers. This episode actually was a watershed for Buffy as she was now truly leaving her adolescence behind and becoming an adult. A very touching scene at the end when Giles tends to Buffy's wounds. A very good but disturbing episode.
You gotta believe that the vamp who turned a serial killer was very deliberate about his choice. Sounds like something Angelus would have done back in the day 😈
The Buffy friend group couldn't plan any birthday celebration after school because she told them she would be with her dad. It's possible they did something at lunch break, or gave her cards and gifts at school, or planned something for the next weekend and the writer just didn't include that in the script.
They probably went out to the Bronze or had dinner at Buffy's with Joyce.
Buffy needed to hear what the head Watcher said about Giles, to help her forgive him for what he'd done to her. And she let him tend her wounds after that.
This episode clearly shows that to the council the slayers are disposable. When one dies the
Next one is called so of the slayer survives the test great if not the next one will be called.
It’s funny how all physical diseases disappear when people are “turned”, but not mental diseases. The vampire still needs his anti-psychotics.
Oh, and some vampires don’t loose their visual problems: they have to continue wearing glasses (but not all)
Drusilla's mental issues didn't clear up either.
Regarding the pills Kralik is taking I always assumed it was some kind of opiate along the lines of morphine, because it was pretty common in the past to regularly give them out to patients in asylums before SSRi style meds and because he seems highly addicted with his main physical symptom seeming to just be withdrawal symptoms. And the pills don't seem to make a difference to him mentally.
imo it's not that they want the strongest slayer possible, it's that teenage girls are easier to control than fully adult women. You were just discussing how valuable Buffy is because of her experience--what would a 20 year old slayer learn and grow? 25--think how strong she's be. I think the council as at best lukewarm on Buffy doing well. They definitely want to start over, but not because the want the worthiest, strongest, most capable slayer.
Yeah they don't have to pay them, they get a lot of their free time and who cares about their education or future? A grown slayer would ask for vacations, a salary, accommodations, a budget for weapons and witchcraft supplies, health insurance... They benefit from slayers, their livelihoods depend on their existence, but they have zero respect for them. If a slayer's pregnant they can't use her. And if she decides to retire then they might have to wait for a natural death so they invented that test to avoid all that trouble. It makes sense.
Different stories have different rules for vampires on film. On Buffy they just appear there. On, say, Moonlight, vampires do not appear on old-school photos (presumably, including polaroids), but do show up on digital images.
This is such a tough episode to watch but Kralik is a highlight - he may be a psychotic serial killing vampire, but god is he funny while he's being evil.
"It's a game you know, we are not gonna play by their rules, but that doesn't mean we are not gonna play"
OMG I had forgotten Jeff Kober was in this episode which reminds me to recommend, Kindred: The Embraced from -96 (based on vampire the masquerade) He played a Nosferatu in it. Unfurtunately the series only got 1 season due to one of the mains, Mark Frankel, died in a motercycle accident, same year. It was a really good show! So totally recommend if you guys can find it somewhere! I still have it on VHS lol
I love how people believe that it's not really Giles, because we can't see him betraying Buffy.
I still wish we had a spinoff with Kralik's background story. He's such a great villain. I'd put Spike in the box, and let Kralik be the big bad for a whole season =D Also, I love the score in this one, super creepy.
Well... back in the episode “The Wish” Cordy had a somewhat different perspective on the whole “beef with Buffy” issue.
Countdown to The Zeppo 🎉😂
I like the quiet.
Another excellent commentary and analysis of a challenging episode.,So much happens we forget that Buffy’s father blows off her 18th birthday( quarterly reports over your only child’s 18th birthday…. Really!) So many theories but when in doubt, return to the theme of Buffy’s journey to being a woman. The Council represents the administrative state. The State has a mission that the public, the audience and reactors believe , is to protect society and fight a war.You even say that but that is never the the actual case. The entrenched power has one goal and that is to keep their power. The bureaucracy is supreme and the war must never be won. Winning means the need is gone and the bureaucracy can be dismantled. The purpose is to have plausible deniability in killing the Slayer that makes the 18th birthday. The Council hopes Buffy is killed, she nearly is, before the test. That’s why she is weakened before. Buffy is not to be told about the test and is supposed to be locked in without weapons and not knowing that a Vampire is within. Then the Vampire is a supercharged demon that is evil and has been starved. No 18 year old, weapon less, unsuspecting, and normal girl will come out alive. Then it’s time to get a new, ignorant, easy to control girl. Like foot soldiers drafted into an Army, let them die and the administration continues. No questions, new Slayer, new Watcher with only the Council wise to the real strategy. The Council has no concern for its people in the battle. Remember that Giles, in the battlefield, does not get invited to the retreats. What support do they give? But they make sure they continue. Then after Buffy survives? They replace Giles , do nothing for her, and say you passed a test and then leave: Why give a test if there is no purpose but to survive. Don’t believe anything that a bureaucratic system says unless it’s to maintain and perpetuate itself. The longer a Slayer stays alive the closer a Slayer starts to ask what’s the reason for The Council. When we watched this, my group all felt the same after discussing during the week . It ties into how Buffy has had to battle every government/ authority group. Principals, the police, The Mayor, and now The Watchers Council. The message is submit to authority and give up your individual freedom. The story from Anne and has been a theme all season.
A slightly rare opinion, but for me this is the best episode of the season and a top 10 episode of the show.
It's always a top ten episode for me
I agree. It feels like an important milestone and very thematic kind of like Lie To Me. Lots of lore and and proves what kind of hero Buffy is.
Vampires have always shown up on film in this verse. In season 2 Giles came across a black and white photo of Drusilla. And when Spike had a vampire tape Buffy fighting with a camcorder, the vampire she was up against showed up on that film. They just don't cast reflections in real time.
Its tiresome that so many of the fandom has decided that Xander should be the scapegoat. If it wasn't for Xander, I wouldn't have watched all 7 seasons.
Sometimes Xander does shitty things but he also does a lot of good. It annoys me too when fans jump on the Xander hate train. All the main characters have done questionable stuff but everybody jumps on Xander?
@@ImBigDave79 I am a Xander fan too.
like you said everyone does good and bad. Everyone's character arc has some oscillations in it but, with one exception in the future, Xander's tend to be the biggest, most obvious, and most frequent. That makes him as a character, a lot less consistent.
Oh yea, and he loves Buffy and hates Angel so the BAngel shippers hate him.
@@PromptCriticalJello I hadn't thought of it that way before. Maybe it is a BAngel thing.
@@ImBigDave79 The attitude of the majority is absolutely exhausting and disheartening. At one time I would have said that Buffy was my 3rd favorite show of all time. However all the Xander hate in recent years has soured the Buffy-fandom experience for me. And now I'm not sure the show is even in my top 10. Xander is still my favorite character of all time though.
Guys, a whole lot of people think this centuries-long tradition isn't to weed out the weak. It's to get rid of young women who are starting to think for themselves and replace her with a younger, more easily controlled model.
Giles was the Ripper. He always felt like the Council gave him shit for it and he tried to do his best to prove those people wrong. Here he followed their orders blindly until he realized what was really going on. Now he knows that they're crooked and this was his chance to do the right thing. I think this was necessary to strengthen the father-daughter relationship they have. Giles is not perfect so I don't think this cancels out his character development, people do make mistakes.
It is a hot take, imo.
"Buffy has done nothing wrong to her, you know. It's just Xander....and Willow, kinda."
Kinda? They BOTH cheated on their partners. They BOTH hurt their (secondary characters) friends as well. They are both EQUALLY guilty, yet somehow everyone continuously hates on Xander for cheating but Willow gets mostly a pass.
"Actually the whole friend group could have stayed together if, like, Xander wasn't there. Cause Cordelia wouldn't have, like, not stopped being friends with them...."
"....it's just Xander keeping them apart."
Once again blowing over Willow's role in this. So you think Cordelia would be cool with everyone else if Xander was gone? That she would be friends again with Willow, the girl who who was making out WITH Xander, simply because she's gotten back together with her own bf? Everything is Xander's fault, that's really your take on this?
If my gf cheated on me with a friend, they'd both be kicked to the curb. Eventually there might be forgiveness for one or both, but probably not anytime soon. And trust is a whole other issue....
They both sucked equally for what they did, but, I think the reason people give Willow more of a pass than Xander is because she feels remorse. She attempts a de-lusting spell at first. She also says Cordelia belongs to the justified camp and should make them pay and pay etc, , whereas Xander shows pretty much no remorse and the line about how it's their fault for barging in. He may be joking and also may feel differently inside, but outwardly he acts like he did nothing wrong and Willow feels awful.
David Fury, as a freelance writer, wrote _Helpless_ with the intent that Giles would be rehired at the end, until it was realized the character could be explored more if he were fired. It initially panicked the freelance writer, who as a fan, realized he could have long lasting effects on the show even as said freelance writer. He explained this in a TH-cam interview of writers and cast members talking years after the show was over.
The power trip the patriarchy social system The Watchers are on believe that they need to control the slayer. That is the underlying real reason for the test. The whole purpose of said real test is that if the slayers survive, The Watchers have a more obedient slayer to their cause, and if they don't, they can start afresh with a naïve, young girl who doesn't understand that she is being used to wage The Watchers war. There is something to be said about the idea behind the non-real test they clain it's all about, but without a guarantee of the slayer's safety (or permission), it isn't worth it.
Buffy learning Angel stalked her is one of the few times she comes off way too close to Bella Swan. I think the only reason it doesn't entirely play that way is because of the mindset she's in at this time concerning her relationship with Angel. It's confused and she's supposed to be feeling that way. Hugging him while acknowledging it (and Angel's metaphor of how he feels) was gross. If she learned about his stalking before their break-up and was all right with it, it would be 100% Bella Swan and incredibly hard to defend.
Considering Cordelia hasn't been in the group since Xander and Willow's betrayal, her line of "Of course" when Buffy asks to be driven home rings with so much more development than if she'd started off an ally.
It's clever writing-wise that Buffy has no slayer strength, it's that her muscles, in general, are weak.
If Buffy were to go to the cops, she wouldn't have to bend any truth around the keeping the mythology a secret. The same applies for Angel sleeping with Buffy. People who don't know about those two situations are going to see the human law problems, mythology notwithstanding.
I don't think Giles making it up to Buffy is as important to the ending as the fact that because of Buffy's realization (due to Travers words) of "You have a father's love for the child" the healing process can begin. It also is helped by the fact that Hank is all but out at this point after not showing up for such a huge moment Buffy was looking forward to and that they had a tradition of before Sunnydale.
I'm with Joe - if Buffy didn't want a big party, cool, just hang out - but, you know, at least get some token gifts, maybe birthday cupcakes instead of a full birthday cake...but do something!
Maybe a protection charm. 😀
Start to this episode this season is so great
I love this episode, but my biggest gripe how helpless Buffy gets physically given that she trains like every day!
Do you realized that vampires and demons have superpowers right ?
The drug they give her is a muscle relaxant and adrenaline suppressant, rendering the training useless.
The Cruciamentum is a seriously counterproductive idea no matter how you slice it. A warrior rite of passage is a universal human thing, but part of being an elite warrior is the willingness to undertake a life threateningly arduous test. Unless participation is voluntary it undermines trust. You're not looking for cannon fodder or robots...contrary to Whedon's notion of the military. Telling her about the trial, giving her a chance to get serious about training and operating, and then voluntarily submitting to having her powers removed would have resulted in a much more deadly and focused Slayer.
Because Buffy NEEDED a wake up call. She's a little sloppy and unmotivated in training. She skips out on it and she tries to show out too much by mouthing off to the vampires before killing them. That nearly got her killed at the beginning of the ep.
The problem with the fan theory that the Council deliberately kills the Slayers off to keep them "controllable for the Patriarchy" has several logical problems.
First and foremost: In what way has the Council shown any real interest in controlling either Buffy or Faith? Were they going to kill Kendra, the perfect samurai? Secondly, what if she prevails? Now you've truly pissed off the deadliest human alive, essentially a tigress with a 3 digit IQ and opposable thumbs. What's the upside to that?
Third, in battle, experience is a huge force multiplier, pretty much the only thing that mitigates the influence of pure chance. Every fight that a Slayer wins makes her many times more valuable than any new Slayer. The simple fact of surviving to her 18th birthday is a feat that indicates how formidable she is. So far, none we've seen have. Buffy died at 16 and Kendra at 17. Faith is 17 and a loose cannon.
Finally, The Slayer is a nearly priceless asset. Buffy herself has prevented multiple extinction level events and saved countless innocents.
It's a great episode with excellent performances by SMG, Head and Jeff Kober(Kralik).
I suspect that not much thought was given to the Council during series development. In the movie, both Slayer and Watcher were just reincarnated through the centuries. Prior to this they've been mostly a useless background idea.
the reason she almost gets killed at the beginning of the episode is because she didn't have her powers, not because she was showing off, although she does do that.
I really hope you guys watch the OG buffy movie once you are done with the series so you can see what inspired them to do the show. Personally I love it cause it has the best ever over the top death scene, like ever! by Paul Reubens aka Peewee Herman lol Its from -92 & has great actors like Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Hilary Swank, David Arquette, Kristy Swanson as buffy & Luke Perry 😀
Clap.
Ok but why doesn't Buffy go get Angel when she needs to rescue her mom? He still has powers! I know the episode wouldn't have worked thematically but this plothole always bugged me. Especially when they explicitly included a line at the start saying Faith is off and away to answer why she isn't called on to help.
This episode was one of the more brutal ones for me, and hard to watch, especially early on. I kind of always wondered thou, why faith didnt have to go thru this? or maybe she is younger than buffy
I need to know you guys’ favourite characters up until this point please!
I'll get back to this comment tomorrow since we're recording
Joe Giles
Mike Miss Calendar
Mikey Spike
@732ReviewCrew THE miss Calendar will always be top tier
The watchers . . . .yea. Counsel of a-holes. As a bonus, we get to some Jeff Kober action as the vamp. He is in a few other episodes as other characters. Also in Sons of Anarchy, Tank Girl, at least once in nearly every tv show from the 90's until now.
He was also in the TV show China Beach. Incredible show!
A top ten episode...
Are comments turned off?
Nope!
I made a comment and it didn't show any but the pinned one. So I made this comment. Now I see comments. Maybe a bug with TH-cam.
@@ThePharaz TH-cam has been YouTubing for about a month or so.
I had a couple of weeks where my comments weren't showing up about half the time.
This is the main reason slayers traditionally had a short life span. The Counsel can't control adults as easily as children. It's a stupid and cruel and frankly evil tradition. One thing that is never explained tho is why a Vampire needs Medication.... I never thought it was an anti-psychotic because he seems like he's taking it for pain?. I've also noticed that even when she's not depowered, she's a really bad shot with the crossbow.
@@michaelolivero1626 How is she a bad shot with the crossbow?
❤🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍
This is, in my opinion, probably one of the worst episodes of the entire series, mostly because of the way Giles acts so massively out of character in a way which would destroy, probabaly permanently, his relationship with Buffy and the Scoobies. If the writer's names weren't on it I'd assume they'd never actually seen an episode of Buffy. There's simply no way Giles would betray Buffy like that; they'd sit down together and come up with a way of making the Council think that the Cruciamentum had gone ahead as planned while keeping Buffy as safe as possible and fully informed at every step.
What makes it worse is that there's the germ of a good and interesting idea in there - how does the Council treat Slayers? - but it gets totally lost in the dreadful writing. Fortunately everyone's completely forgotten about it by next episode and it's never referred to again as far as I remember.
It doesn't directly reference this episode, but there is one a little bit later that this sets the stage for.
"I don't think they know which way i'm facing"
I usually avoid this episode…so hard to watch
Yea....Angel's revelation about loving Buffy before she was called as a slayer is sweet.
....untill you realize that was a 240 year old falling in love with a 14 year old....then the ick factor really starts to sink in.
God damn. You could at least make it complete and mention that he is technically a corpse, and what it means for Buffy's love for him.
Seriously, why are people so obsessed with age gap, when it's clear Buffy is an equal partner in the relationship?
@@migmit because adults shouldn't lust over children, this isn't difficult
@@trinie456OK, and the definition of “child” is?..
15 year old* She was 15 when she was called at her old school.
Angel is a 21/22 year old young adult that just happened to be alive for over 200 years. He doesn’t AGE! Buffy was 15 not 14 when she was called as a slayer and this whole relationship is consensual and nothing malicious about it from Angels part. This obsession about not being able to let yourself enjoy the tragic love story of these two great characters is so disappointing. Eventually you’ll have to get over it because no matter what happens going forward, Angel is Buffy’s first and TRUE love. No spoilers so I’ll end it there.
I hate this episode, 1st season, sure, 2nd season, ok, but in the middle of the 3rd season.....meeeeeh