Buffy The Vampire Slayer S06E08|'' Tabula Rasa''♡Reaction & Review♡
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People never talk about how spike with no memories wants to help people, doesnt feel like a vampire, thinks hes a human, gets offended when called a vampire, thinks he has a soul.
This is true 😊😊
And Buffy who when discovers she has superpowers, immediately thinks she's a superheroine?
Because he is following buffy.
@ShieldVids he doesn't remember buffy when hes saying this., bro. He doesn't remember he loves her.
@@grrrrbabyverygrrr8165 The memories are gone but the episode basically says the instincts from their emotions are still sort of there. Buffy and dawn felt like sisters. Xander and willow felt some sort of connection and willow felt like she was gay after spending some time with Tara. Spike follows his emotions more then his physical instincts because of the chip.
His instincts were do what buffy wants to do because that was what lead him all season 5.
@@ShieldVidsI think your point is PARTLY true but not fully. If you watched “fool for love” you’d see Spike wasn’t originally a bad guy and was a hopeless romantic. Of course Angel wasn’t evil either, but his actions as a human like being drunk and stuff domino over into him becoming Angelus instead of Angel. Angel only happened cus he was cursed with soul.
Back on topic, they write Spike to be not like your typical vampire. It’s his vampirism that added the demon that made it impossible for him to be that way fully UNTIL he got his soul…
The two most painful things in this episode to me
- Tara offering Willow a week, because she loves her so much and already knows WIllow will fail, just so she at least has a chance to believe
- that Buffy is actually starting to open up when the spell hits, literally interrupting her
Omg I never thought that if willow hadn't have done the spell, Buffy might have been able to work things out better. That's crazy.
🎶You made me believe🎶
@@TheMrsWatcher Yeah. The discussion they were having before the spell hit could have really helped her. She was finally letting down her walls, finally and fully admitting she was struggling and I think she was on the verge of asking for help. And then the spell interrupted that *and* it gave her back a taste of _normal_ that she immediately lost when her memories returned. Which had to make her depression even worse, which is why she went to Spike again.
How it should have gone: *Xander gets memory back* "Ben is Glory!"
🤣🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣😂😂😂😂
HAHAHAHAHA that would have been so funny!! 🤣🤣
and Giles goes "Not anymore".
@@kyleellis1825 🤣🤣🤣
Oh, that made me LOL irl too hard, scared the parrot :P
*Willow promises to go a week without magic*
"She's going to fail isn't she?"
Worse, she doesn't even TRY for one second.
Pretty sure she did... for less than 24 hours... I mean, if we take into account just the magic they showed her do lol
The fact that she did that so quickly and casually, I don't see her having tried. Doing that less than 24 hours later, includes planning it before that. And if she tried, then it would take some kind of, at least the slightest bit of conflict or pressure before she felt she had to. I mean ignore the main storyline spell, of the magic we saw her cast after she promised that, she used magic to........ Change Her Clothes. How hard is she trying to resist the urge to use magic for such a simple task. "I tried so hard (for less than 1 second) to change my clothes the normal way, but it was just too much before I relapsed"???
@@Logan_Baron In this case, she used magic to change her clothes because that was her alibi to the rest of her friends- she was doing it with magic to buy her time for casting the spell.
It's a literal loan shark.
best visual joke in the whole show
I always cringed at the loan shark but glad you enjoyed it!
The shark is cringey (I mean, how does he even breath standing so still 🤷🏼♀️😄) but I still love it 😄
The moment I realized he was a 'loan shark', I just couldn't stop laughing.
Recognizes Michelle Branch:
Recognizes the song:
Starts to sing the chorus:
Immediately realizes the reason the song was chosen:
Sobs through the rest of song
One of the best songs in any TV show ever. It's just ridiculous how much it hits you when the chorus starts.
when i was like 7 i had a michelle branch cd i loved so much but i kind of forget about her til this episode and i had a whole moment realizing i knew this song and then that it was michelle branch i was thrown
3:30 That voice cut in "I'm sorry you're feeling that way" gave me a huge belly laugh 🤣
One thing I love in the episode is seeing Buffy as her true self when she lost her memories. The pain and weight of her depression gone and you can see her compassion and empathy immediately shine through as she consoles Dawn.
Because depression is not who we are no matter how much it tells us it is. We are not wrong and broken. It does not define us.
What a beautiful thing to say. Thank you for that bit of wisdom.
No one ever talks about hiw Spike clearly, without his memory doesnt want to hurt anyone. Doesnt feel like a vampire. Gets upset when he's called one.
Buffy is a good person, a very good person, but also with so many problems and difficults 😞
As crushing as it is, I'm totally with you in terms of being _so damn proud_ of Tara. She's not just giving up her girlfriend, she's potentially giving up pretty much her entire social circle, and probably her main source of fulfillment and validation (working with the Scoobies). The development of her character, and her self-confidence and self-respect, are awe-inspiring.
Oh, and if nobody else has mentioned it yet, you may want to go rewatch the swing set scene with Giles and Spike from the S4 finale ("Restless"). :)
It really bothered me that Willow was still allowed to live at the Summers house but Tara has nowhere to go. So Tara has to be staying at Giles' place for a while or maybe with Xander/Anya (don't they have a spare room?)
@@kyleellis1825 I'm pretty sure she gets a dorm room at the college
@@primrosett How? They all have money issues and Tara gave up her Dormroom to move into the summers house. Those take like a year to get into and Tara didn't have the money to do so anyway. Season 6 was all about how only Giles, Xander and Anya had any cash.
@@kyleellis1825 It's later confirmed (in 6.18 Entropy) that she moved back into the dorms, and the cast of Buffy seem to live in a similar suspension-of-disbelief housing market to the cast of Friends. Back in 5.06 Family, for instance, Buffy seems to breezily pick up a "cherry corner suite" and then casually drop it again a few days later.
That is fair. Sunnydale does have an insane maket. Which both explains how buffy could pay the mortgage on a doublemeat salary and makes me wonder how much of Willow/Tara's bursary/scholarship money was put towards the summers house.
For all we know, Willow's parents just gave willow the same amount of money they would have for her dorm room and Willow used that on the house.
But since Xander is the only one with a proper "normal" job at this time, it's pretty clear he's putting a lot of money into the house (at the very least he's paying for the repairs himself most of the time). And Giles/Anya probably have something in the magic box contract where some of the money goes to Buffy.
Because Buffy doesn't ever accuse he friends of bankrupting her, I have to assume they helped more behind the scenes than we ever saw. @@terrystickland219
Her post-episode discussion on Buffy and Spike, whew. Sofie is the reigning Buffy reactor, she understands the characters better than any reactor I have ever watched. I often have to stop watching Buffy reactions when the reactor gets to s6, but Sofie’s expectations are in the right place because she pays attention and understands the characters, so I know I can trust her reactions this season.
1:50 I just LOVE the cheesy visual pun: in the Buffyverse a “loan shark” is an actual shark.
This reminds me so much of Xena. I don’t understand why any Buffy reactors don’t react to Xena, as both shows superbly handle action, comedy and drama (with a bit of cheese as well), both have amazing lead actresses, and also amazing supporting casts!
You know, I've seen this episode like half a dozen times, first time I noticed that. I am dissapointed that the shark only has four gills though. All sharks have five to seven, depending on the order, although the fifth does look pretty squished in in a few species.
Giles is dead wrong to leave, but the story needed him out of the picture and the actor needed time at home with family, so here we are.
Amazing they made an episode this good right after the musical.
It feels about as abrupt as Oz leaving. Not as hard hitting as Hero.
Giles must have felt that he needed to remove himself from the situation so that the temptation to always help Buffy wouldn't be so great.
Yes, he said that he would always help her whenever she would ask, but I think he just felt that she might take advantage of that. She needed to be able to handle some things herself, but with him there, she could nore easily just foist the duties on him.
@@ronfehr7899 ... Dude. She literally tried to kill herself by dancing in front of him after admitting to feeling like she's living in hell. That's his supposed daughter figure man, no reason could ever explain it. She wasn't asking for anything, just support and even if she did take advantage (which ... when has she ever ??), I think it would be kinda fair until she gets out of this mindset.
@@mayadargeon2172 I think the only reason this played out the way it did was because ASH was by far the best singer in the cast, so they wanted to keep him around for the musical episode where Buffy admits what happened.
If Giles had left *before* it became clear that Buffy was suicidally depressed because of something that no therapist could ever hope to help her with, it would have made a lot more sense. He wouldn't have known. Giles can't stay, because ASH isn't a regular for this season. But Giles leaving when he knows Buffy is suicidally depressed...it feels wrong. So he should have left before he found out.
@@ronfehr7899 yes, that's the crap reason they give, but Buffy is CLEARLY in a state where she needs a lot of help. She tried to die last episode. Her support system is falling apart with Willow's descent. And I don't care what anyone says, he has an obligation to make sure Dawn is taken care of. I just don't agree for a second that this is the moment she needs to learn self reliance as a guardian or that that longterm need outweighs the obvious mess she's in right now.
it's probably the tenth time i'm watchin buffy vicariously through someone else's reaction and i must say, you're the reviewer who is understanding the characters the most, you predict their motivations and growth journey with an impressive accuracy (mostly buffy's journey through this depression methaphor and willow's journey with witchcraft) and you pick up on subtlties most people don't acknowledge (no shade on other creators, they tend to mostly focus on plot where you really put your lense on the characters) The way you interact with buffy's journey really speaks volume on your emotional intelligence.
Yep. She’s incredibly insightful. Especially given it’s a first watch.
'RESTLESS' MOMENTS
XANDER: Gotta be with movin' forward.
BUFFY: Like a shark.
XANDER: Like a shark with feet and... much less fins.
SPIKE: And on land!
&&
GILES: Spike's like a son to me.
--------
I love Tabula Rasa. I think it's probably in my top 10 for the series. So much fun.
Also, the Siri moment had me 😂
With Spike wearing the same or very similar clothes.
On a show that uses heavy foreshadowing it’s still hard to believe this episode was intended. I’m thinking that episode inspired this one. Because that would be a bit too crazy.
@@zemoxian Joss has his shows figured out even before he starts them 😉 He is not a man of coincidences. Buffys death and Dawn coming was even foreshadowed in S3 in Faiths dream. Firefly had a 7 season arc ready.
@@IslandpferdeHaukagil Joss planned some things but not others. For example, he always liked the idea of one of Buffy's friends coming out as gay, but for a while it was planned to be Xander. It was only after Seth Green decided to leave that they switched to Willow. Also, Spike and Faith were both originally only supposed to be in a couple episodes, but James and Eliza were so great that the characters becoming recurring (and in Spike's case, main cast).
@@theadamabrams Eh, we knew Willow was gay before Oz even left. We discovered that in Doppelgangland. They didn't know Seth was leaving until season 4 started.
I loved Siri being sorry you feel sad🤣
The relationships between Giles&Randy is the most hilarious thing of this episode IMO!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Not only is Dawn still a bit too young to fully understand why Tara's leaving (though the memory spell that almost get them killed is a reason she could understand), but moreover.. as you mentioned for Buffy about Giles leaving, it brings her back to the divorce of her parents, and Dawn (in her fake memories, but still valid) was only 10 when it happened.
By the way, the fact she's running inside in that scene is also very meaningful.. Up to now, whenever she was upset, she fled out of the house. Fans often tend to get mad at her for being so stupid to put herself in danger like this, but it makes total sense to me : it's the house they went after the divorce. She didn't felt like it was home. For her, home was her house in LA, with both her parents.
But now that Tara is leaving, she ran inside, where she lived for months with Tara and Willow.
The innocent expression of joy on Buffy's face when she says "But it was cool" after kicking some butt and slaying a vampire ❤
I love the comedy in this episode, and it makes me one of my favorites because of that. However, beyond Giles leaving and Tara and Willow breaking up, the part that hurts my heart is what happens to Buffy. She's so excited and happy when she figures out "Joan" is a superhero, probably the happiest we've seen her since before her mom got sick - and when the spell breaks it's like the crushing weight of the world drops back on her shoulders; and boy does SMG show all of that in her expression within about two seconds. So for a second time, Willow yanked the happiness away from her best friend and made things worse. After Giles left, I totally understand why Buffy went to Spike in order to feel something positive and loving with no strings attached so she can keep coping with life instead of giving up.
The saddness happy episode or the happiest sad episode? You choose.
I actually think Giles and Anya were / would be kinda cute together 😅🙈
It was also really sweet from Tara to don't make fun about Anyas thoughts about heaven. She is such a kind soul
Xander's the one who usually makes jokes.
@@jp3813 Willow and Buffy make fun of Anya all the tim, just usually not to her face..
I was glad they didn't kill the Loan Shark. I love when they show a demon with such beautiful manners, almost courtly. It reminded me of D'Hoffryn the vengeance demon.
Yes, you're definitely on track with the fact that Buffy is using Spike to just feel alive. Get ready for the most toxic situationship ever.
I disagree. Actually Spike was the only person who ever stood by her. The writers were just too chicken to go there. And its quite obvious when she is moved to defend him.
@@marissashantez6051 Both can be true
something noteworthy in this ep (and it's one of my top 10 of the series), is that with no memory and no soul, Spike still acts like a human being instead of a soulless demon (the chip never goes off)
It's a good thing he wasn't hungry and no one upset him.
I’m thinking the conscious memories were erased but the chip and feelings for Buffy has probably caused conditioning on an unconscious level.
Hunger or anger could probably bring out baser instincts but in a calm state of mind and lack of awareness of being a vampire, he’s ok.
I think that if he actually wanted to harm a human, there would probably be hesitation due to the frequent intense pain he’s suffered even if he can’t remember it.
His instincts went soft after getting chipped.
Buffy feeling like a Joan always made sense to me. I associated it with Joan of Arc.
She even said "Joan of" just as the spell broke. Always felt like she was going to say Joan of Arc.
@@xyex
no, she clearly says "joan the --"
@@sirmoonslosthismind It's 'Joan of-'
@@sirmoonslosthismind Subtitles say "of".
@@jp3813
subtitles say a lot of stupid things.
Giles vs the skeleton always crack's me up.
As someone who was on the receiving side of the treatment that Giles gave Buffy I can tell you he did the right thing. Buffy was too dependent on him. Every small thing was delegated to him. The longer he would let it go on the harder it would be for her to find her own footing. And because he loves her so much, he would be helping her.
That's why he had to leave, he wouldn't be able to just stand aside, he would always step in like in the previous episode. It's tough, it's painful, but you have to let a butterfly struggle it's way out of the cocoon on its own or you sentence it to death.
Sometimes helping out can do a more harm in a long run than doing nothing, and Giles knows Buffy so well that he knew this was one of those times.
love michelle branch. she did "live" performances on so many tv shows during this time. ah, the nostalgia of growing up at that time.
This is the best one so far that I've heard. I mean, it not only sounds better than the Studio version but is totally fitting for this episode. Everytime I hear this version, I can't separate it from this episode.
Willow was using magic as an easy fix as a way to not deal with her feelings or make hard choices ever since Lover's Walk. Then it progressed with episodes like Something Blue & Wild At Heart. They always knew this was Willow's trajectory it is such great long term character development
What happened in ‘New Moon Rising’ that was Willow’s fault?
@Emma Wilson she immediately attempted to get revenge on Veruca and Oz using magic to deal with a normal human issue. I meant Wild At Heart sorry
@@seanduncan3624 ah right. Agreed.
Watching reactors see Willow fall into addiction just reminds me of the people living with an addict. It’s enraging, heartbreaking, and unbelievable to see someone you love and know so well to just betray you. This is addiction. It’s brutal for the addict AND anyone who loves them.
You know I really love the frequent writing and directive styling technique used on Buffy where they make the dialogue for one main character’s interactions with other characters in one scene of an episode relate to another main character’s interactions with other characters in another scene of it even though both scenes are in different times and places. It’s almost as if they’re subconsciously aware of the situation happening for each other and therefore building on the theme. Not sure I explained it well but take the individual scenes between Willow/Tara and Buffy/Giles in ‘Tabula Rasa’ for example:
TARA: “I don't know, I just... think we both need some... I don't know, space.
*Willow looks upset*
Oh, I can’t believe I’m saying this.”
WILLOW: “Are you saying you're gonna leave me?”
*Cut to Giles sitting on the sofa in the workout room*
GILES: “I have to.”
*Reveal Buffy standing beside him. She looks shocked*
BUFFY: “Uh-huh.”
*She sits on a pile of exercise mats, frowning*
GILES: “You have to be strong. I'm, I'm trying to-“
BUFFY:
*Jumps up*
“Trying to, to what?
*Angrily*
Desert me? Abandon me? Leave me all alone when I really need somebody?”
GILES:
*Quietly*
“I don’t want to leave.”
BUFFY: “So don't. Please don't.
*She goes to sit beside him*
I can't do this without you.”
So because the creators have decided to parallel both Buffy and Willow’s individual arcs with depression/addiction together, they do this really clever thing in the episode ‘Once More, With Feeling’ where they give us a reprise of both Tara’s song ‘Under Your Spell’ and Giles’ song ‘Standing’ in which both characters express their choice to leave their respective loves (Willow/Buffy) behind, confessing that they wish they could stay but believe it’s for the best that they leave. So in the following episode ‘Tabula Rasa’ both Tara and Giles confront Willow and Buffy about their choices. And the scenes between the characters are distanced between time and place but are connected by a common thematic narrative: separation. Tara will separate herself from her romantic relationship with Willow and Giles will separate himself from his father figure relationship with Buffy. And the writers and directors of the episode choose to deliver both individual scenes to the audience through using this writing and directive styling choice of connecting the interactions between them through the dialogue.
I haven’t seen that been done before in anything else thus far. Certainly nothing recent. It could be a 90’s/early 2000’s technique or it could just be unique to the Buffyverse. I’m not sure. But the creators of Buffy use it frequently and I love it. I know exactly what they’re going for each time they do use it. What effect they’re intending to have on the viewer. I think it really elevates the storytelling and makes it very engaging for me to watch the show. It’s extremely clever. I believe this is one of the things that make it timeless.
I've seen your comments on a few videos now (outside of the discussions we've had. And you're the only person I think may have seen the same potentially character defining moment in episode 1 of Buffy.
I have no idea where to actually ask you this. But I've been curious for a couple weeks now and have to ask. Did Willow telling Buffy that XAnder and her used to go out as the first interaction at the bronze, establish Willow was going to be just a controlling as Cordelia was, just in a less obvious way?
Because Buffy actually seemed into Xander until that exact moment and Buffy seemed to go "Xander off limits".
My daughter is so used to meaningful cut scenes from Buffy that when we were watching another show where they were talking about evil and cut to another character, but it was not significant at all, she goes...that must mean that guys evil, right?
I know that, back when it first aired, just those few minutes of Giles/Anya romance launched a thousand fan-fics.
🤣😂😂🤣
Wow, you’re so spot on with your analysis of Spike and Buffy already… Can’t wait to see your reaction to the rest of this rollercoaster 😬
So the real reason Giles is so hurriedly written out is that Anthony decided to quit & move back to the UK. With that said, they very much could have done a better job writing him out. For me, I've always chosen to believe that Giles was just done. He couldn't hack the life anymore & was running away. He couldn't deal with the reality that staying & fighting would mean he would likely see Buffy die... again. That's how The Slayer's story finishes after all, death is her gift. He's broken & he's done & he's running away.
He wanted to two be with his daughters
What a great reaction to this amazing episode. The Buffyverse is known for giving fans exactly what we want but in the worst way possible.
Like it or not the signs for Giles leaving right now were part of his character from the beginning and the same could be said of Willow with her dependency on magic. It's almost like the writers knew what they were going to do all along even if they didn't.
The difference is Tara had amnesia as an excuse while Giles doesn't. He should've addressed the issue w/ Buffy first so that they could compromise (like Tara giving Willow a week) rather than just dropping a bomb on her about leaving.
This is a really great episode that's often overshadowed by being straight after _Once More With Feeling._
i've always found this odd that giles and spike were so surprised to be british where no one was "i guess i'm american" as if american was the default
it's just an american show making a nod to the home audience. it's not something to take seriously.
Because everybody else was speaking in an American accent.
It is definitely unhealthy. And toxic. It does show initial stages of a mutually abusive relationship.
"I can't believe they did this to me and my bike" 😂😂 Legit. For a long time you watch and want them to get together but then the moment they do it turns into something you don't want for so many reasons
Alley’s influence with the “Bike”.
They need lot of harsh DRAMAAAA!)😁
"Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen!" Sorry but it'll never not be Spuffy.
‘Something Blue’ is like ‘Tabula Rasa’ on a leash. In both cases Willow never intended to cause harm to her friends but in ‘Something Blue’ the spell was meant to be for herself. In ‘Tabula Rasa’ it’s meant for Buffy and Tara. Both are destructive spells that have dire consequences but one of them genuinely is a mistake in effort to quickly heal her heart, the other is a purposeful attempt to sweep issues under the rug.
However, what both episodes have in common is that both are a way of Willow avoiding addressing and dealing with her emotions. Both are using magic as a means to escape feeling her emotions. Both are a crutch to make up for what she feels she lacks in herself. And in that way - they are directly connected and show that Willow’s arc was always in character despite it not being made clear it’s true foundation. Where the addiction actually stems from and what kind of addiction it actually is. It’s an emotional one.
Every time someone says that Willow’s magic addiction just came out of nowhere and was just a way to create drama between Willow and Tara and the Scoobies, I mention ‘Something Blue’. Because in both cases magic is used as drug to self-medicate and that self-medicating had second-hand smoke effects on everyone else. It was harmful for everyone. Whether it was intended to be or not doesn’t matter. The fact is that Willow’s use of magic leaned more towards destructiveness than beneficialness and she excused it as “helping” or “healing” when it was actually harming and hurting both herself and others.
Quick fixes and bandaids never help or heal anything. What they do is they make problems more difficult to solve or take longer to find solution. Willow needed to be told that her abuse of magic was dangerous for everyone involved - whether purposeful or accidental. And she is all throughout the show but the conversation always avoids the main point. Which is that using it to offset something internal - emotions/insecurities/anxieties - will only lead to both internal and external destruction because it is not addressing and dealing with them honestly, intimately and head on. It is avoiding and escaping them instead - thus making things much worse “inside” and “outside”.
So if ‘Something Blue’ is the start of Willow’s spiral into emotional addiction, then ‘Tabula Rasa’ is the inevitable conclusion of it. Ignore the “magic” part. That’s not as relevant as the necessity to use it’s power to counteract Willow’s insecurities of being powerless or useless or valueless or worthless. She knew it was her best chance because it’s what she’s best at. They could have done the same with her preference for hacking and technology engineering but they never do - instead they give Warren that arc. And it’s not lost on me the similarities between them as far as the need for accumulation of power goes. All they do is make it clear Warren’s intentions are evil - he intends to control, he intends dominate, he intends to rape, he intends to murder. Willow never intends any of this - but it is exactly what she does anyway.
“They’re the bad guys - I’m not the bad guy.”
Translation: “It is justified for me to do it because I do not intend to do evil with it. They do.”
But Willow - you become like them anyway because you avoid the truth behind the actions. And the truth is that you’re the one in pain. You’re the one that’s sad. You’re the one that’s confused. You’re the one that HAS THE PROBLEM. Not Buffy and Tara. And you know this is the truth, you just refuse to face it.
I will keep saying it: the only thing that’s wrong with this character is that this character thinks and believes that there’s something wrong with them. It’s entirely an insecurity issue right from the beginning. And they mislead you into thinking that that is improved or fixed - when it’s only just covered up. This is the meaning of Willow’s nightmare in ‘Restless’. The hiding and disguising. The “costume” she wears. The “character” she plays. The “part” she performs. It’s all Willow. There’s no doubt about that. But at the same time - it’s a perception severely filtered by lies and an identity veiled in ego. It’s not so much that she’s pretending to be someone she’s not because you can’t pretend to be something you’re not aware of being. But it is an act. A performance. An obliviously and obsessively chronic and compulsive behaviour.
That is why Willow is such a profound character.
Oh My God this is such a good analysis. You are absolutely right. Addiction is as much emotional as it is physical. And in fact, emotions are physical too, managed by a delicate system of neurotransmitters and autonomic nervous system, and effected by things like racing heart beat, clenching of muscles, acid production in stomach, energy levels; we just always severely underestimate them because we believe we can control them (we are deluded).
@@asthajindal5275 Thank you. Precisely. Few people are aware of and understand the relationship between the mind (the internal) and the body (the external). Don’t realize that they’re one in the same. Anything that starts in the mind will eventually effect the body and vice versa. And this is why it makes sense that the metaphor becomes literal. It’s not about making it “heavy handed” for the story to be more “adult” or “darker”. It’s the understanding that internal destruction does lead to external destruction when not directly dealt with. Emotional addiction, however non-serious it starts off, quickly evolves into very serious.
It’s not about the magic. This needs to be understood about Willow’s arc more. Like all substance abuse, the reason to abuse is not for the substance, but rather what the substance compensates for. A perceived lack-of something.
An insecurity, anxiety or emotion. Willow does not want to face what she really feels. She wants to avoid it, mask it or overpower it. Thus - magic. So it’s not about having or using magic. It’s about having or using the power she can get from it to offset something she perceives she lacks or she is missing. But there isn’t anything lacking or missing except belief. Therefore, as I keep saying, the only thing that’s wrong with Willow is that she believes that there’s something wrong with her.
Insecurities are rarely, if at all, ever the truth.
@@Girl4Music And, it kind of recently occured to me, that aside from 'Something Blue', there are other episodes too where this is set up. Willow obviously has a huge emotional connection and confidence in magic, but it does have a physical component as well. When Willow performed magic for the first time in 'Becoming', we see that magic passes through her to its object, so it does affect her physically. Its ecstatic effects are shown even more obviously in the whole courtship period of Tara and Willow, they performed so much magic together in the 4th season where they were obviously swimming in the feels and in one episode parallels were drawn between Riley and Buffy having sex while Tara and Willow were performing a spell, and at the end of that spell Willow even falls down on to her pillow, obviously experiencing some kind of extreme pleasure. That's when I felt that the boundaries between magic and emotions were especially getting blurry.
@@asthajindal5275 With what you said here about the Nether Realm spell Willow and Tara performed in Season 4’s ‘Who Are You’, you are definitely supposed to interpret it as Willow and Tara’s first sex scene - however mentally and emotionally rather than physically. But you’re quite right that the spell still affects both of them physically. That combined with that they’re channelling Buffy (or rather Faith) and Riley’s sexual energies in order to find out what is going on with Buffy. So that’s an obvious factor too. I don’t think people realize that the part where Willow falls down on her pillow and is experiencing extreme pleasure is her being empathically connected to “Buffy’s” sexual arousal. That essentially the moment “Buffy” has an orgasm, so too does Willow. That’s why it’s paralleled the way it is. From one moment “Buffy” and Riley to the next Willow and Tara. You’re meant to understand that they’re feeling the exact same way they are. So you have the “magic is sex” metaphor on top of the condition that they’re empathically connected to sexual intercourse.
And I think this is why the “magic is a drug” metaphor bothers people so much. Because they think of it as if the metaphor has changed. But it actually hasn’t. It’s just evolved. You could essentially say that Willow has become addicted to the sexual arousal performing magic makes her feel and therefore the lust she feels for Tara. Because it’s not lost on me that part of the reason why Willow chooses to erase Tara’s memories is so Tara remains willing to have sex with her. She might not recognise that that’s what she’s doing at the time she puts Tara under her spell, but the narrative makes no attempt to separate itself from Willow’s sexual arousal when the very episode they have sex while Tara’s mind is altered in such a way that makes her willing to have sex with Willow when she otherwise wouldn’t. It’s date-rape. And I’ve always said that in Season 6 Willow isn’t just addicted to magic, she’s also addicted to Tara because Tara is an unintended trigger and enabler of her addiction and she realizes this. That’s why she leaves her. Because she understands that her presence around Willow is not a good thing while Willow is so attracted to her in this extremely abusive and controlling way.
So the “magic is sex” metaphor hasn’t changed at all. What’s changed is the tone. It used to be a positive thing. Now it’s negative. And the reason why is because Willow is undergoing a negative character development. There’s nothing wrong or inconsistent or mixed signal-y about the metaphors. It just requires you to think deeper. Willow has become addicted to the power of magic - a power of which makes her feel sexually aroused because part of the reason why it’s so arousing for her is the fact that it involves Tara too - wilfully or not. What once was pure and beautiful suddenly is depraved and ugly and people don’t like that. That’s all it is with the complaints about “magic is a drug”. They’re not understanding that it’s because the character has changed why there is a change in tone. But the metaphor hasn’t changed at all. It’s just evolved. It’s just showing it’s negative side along with the character. Willow is corrupted by the power of magic and blind-sided by her love and lust for Tara as a result. I would argue that were Tara not also a witch, and therefore also magically powerful, Willow wouldn’t be as attracted to her as she is because the number one factor that attracts her is power. It’s not only something she wants for herself. It’s also something she feels sexually aroused by. A personal aphrodisiac of sorts. And looking at it this way - from this perspective - everything that happens in her arc makes complete sense. She’s a willing participant in the seduction so she’s not a victim but she doesn’t realise how far she’s going. Doesn’t realize that it’s no longer personal for her anymore. And that if she’s endangering herself, she’s endangering others. She has to hold herself accountable for her selfish actions and choices. A lot of her arc in Season 6 is about self-awareness and emotional maturity. She’s always severely lacked in both all throughout her individual storyline. Especially when it comes to the use of magic. And it hasn’t been entirely her fault - I acknowledge and admit that. Her friends didn’t help matters. Relying on her so heavily to pull off the “BIG GUN” moves. And her romantic/sexual relationship with Tara indirectly also contributed. But nevertheless - as Spider-Man would put it - with great power comes great responsibility. And it’s about time that Willow learned that lesson. And it looks like she’s learning it the hard way.
@@Girl4Music I know right! Magic was always what it was and affected her the same way it ever had, she just began to make more careless choices with it. And I love Tara and Willow's romance, but when their courtship started and was so centred around their magic in 4th season especially, it made me kind of uncomfortable, not in the least because it re-inforced the whole lesbians are unnatural witches thing; like why couldn't they just get along and make goo goo eyes normally, why is magic forming such a huge part of their sexual tension? I agree with you 100% that Willow's attraction to Tara was at least in part because of the whole Wicca thing; the other part is that Willow invests all of herself in the people she loves. She was in love with Xander most of her life, she only got over Xander when she fell in love with Oz, she only got over Oz when she fell in love with Tara, her sense of self and emotional security is completely dependent on having a person belong to her. That's why even after the whole cheating thing and after Oz took her back, when she finds out Xander had sex with Faith, she was devastated; she doesn't like to share her people.
Yes, you are right. Buffy want to feel something and she feel some passion with Spike.
The sad thing is that Giles tactic seems to have been working. When faced with idea of Giles leaving, Buffy WAS starting to take the first step and open up and talk about her issues to everybody. Till Willow's spell interrupted it. There's a huge chance that had it not have happened, Giles might have actually not have left, whats with Buffy taking first steps toward opening up. Alas, with Willow trying to fix everything with magic, she inadvertently made it worse for Buffy by giving her a taste of living without any trauma, before throwing her back into her despair.
I don't think Willow necessarily ever changed. I think she always had this addictive personality side to her. Even going as far back as first season and that dumb dumb episode with the demon on the internet, there was element of being offered power being seductive to her. Discovering magic simply opened a path to having real tangible power and no longer being just a sidekick. Computer stuff took a backseat and Willow has been always framed as someone who tries to push what she can do with magic to the limits. You can track it all the way back to the moment Willow staked that vampire with telekinesis pencil and the brief moment of realization that she can do this now hit her.
The subplots here are so great for me because you can track a lot of them through multiple previous seasons, be it Giles sense of inadequacy and aimlessness, Willow's growing dependence on her growing power or Buffy's growing despair.
👌👍👏
Good for Tara for leaving. Willow violented Tara's mind, took away her right to consent or not.
1:53 That is a Loan Shark.
The Giles ark has actually real life reasons - Anthony Stewart Head wanted out because he realized how much time he had spend in the USA away from his family. In an interview he said that he had almost spend a year away from his family at one point.
Randy and Giles maybe some connection to Restless when they sit on the swing in Xanders dream. Spike was waering a/the suit also.
Dawn - from her perspective Tara and Willow only fight one time, so for her it comes out of nowhere.
Giles' behavior is similar to Oz' based on RL stuff. Maybe they should have used a different reason, like something with the watchers counsil, that he is needed there and using that to set up a Big Bad for later on in this or the next season.
"Funniest saddest seriously" in one phrase... 🤣🤣🤣 but you're right with this description.
Well, Tara walked away with entering college, but she was to shy to speak up in this so called wiccagroup.
Anya and Bunnies - never get's old 😁.
Doppelgangland, it was not Vampire Willow saying that but she did it about her dark ego while it was caged and doped.
Finally, i love it, when you're going in full defensive mode for Buffy like you did for Tara in Family.
Giles also said as he was on the swing that Spike "is like a son to me".
As much as I hate what Willow did in this episode, I really must thank her for it lead to one of the funniest episodes of the show.
I agree with what you said about this NOT being the time for Giles to leave. I have heard that one reason for this plot line was because Anthony Steward Head wanted to take a break.
On the other hand, the this may have been in the works for a while - look at Giles's scene in Restless where he and Buffy are at the carnival and Buffy is dressed as a little girl. She wins a carnival game and looks at Giles for approval. Giles responds by saying "I don't have any treats for you". Though I don't completely agree with it, it seems like the writers were developing the theme of Buffy being too dependent on Giles, or at least of Giles THINKING Buffy was too dependent, for some time. Great reaction as always!
Giles is a lot of things, but what Buffy truly needs is a licensed therapist. He isn't in a position to be that for her and trying to be could make things worse. Stay or go, it seems to be that he's damned either way.
What's worse, Buffy is a psychology major. This shouldn't have been a weird topic, Buffy could have at least had Riley get a qualified Initiative therapist to talk about the confidential stuff.
@@CTM418 Her first year classes, yes. But she shifted focus.
But true, she only had like half a semester like that.
I recommend that you go back and rewatch (listen) to Buffy's songs in the previous episode. They describe the inner turmoil she's feeling for pretty much the rest of the season.
I watched her patreon reaction, she went back many times, so she could listen to the lyrics, dont worry❤
I credit this episode for introducing me to King Ralph, one of JG's funniest family-friendly films.
Best episode ever. It starts off funnier than any other episode.
Not sure if everybody knows it already, but "Tabula rasa" is Latin for "Blank slate".
Really, Joss Whedon is genius
Once More with Feeling and Tabula Rasa are the greatest 1-2 punch in the history of television.
This 2-episode run is by FAR my favorite of the series! Two absolutely incredible episodes, that advance the overall storyline in very different but very creative and clever (and entertaining) ways; both filled with humor AND pathos; both featuring incredible acting from everyone involved - it just doesn't get better than this! There are a LOT of fantastic episodes of Buffy over the course of the series, but these were the best two back-to-back for my money!
Buffy choosing 'Joan' as her name makes me wonder if the original script was 'Joyce' (her mother's name) but that was too powerful in the context of the scene.
Again a top 5 episode for me as it is funny, dramatic and sad all in one and paced superbly.
I don't know if I agree that Spike needs a soul to be loved by Buffy, I do, however, agree he needs one for their relationship to have any staying power. Because right now, Spike is following a vague checklist of "Things I Think Buffy Wants". Being Good and Empathizing with others is outside of his understanding and there will always be room for error. And that's no personal failing of his, he can't help it. He's a soulless vampire. But I think for someone like Buffy, who is very righteous and does care deeply about even a stranger, him not understanding that would become a very big problem in the future.
as I like to say, a plot firmly anchored in reality, despite the magical basis of the series. and the episode - one of the funniest since doppelgangland.
the way before the spell buffy was starting to opening up..
also at the end she probably had to expirience and remember everything that happend. everything😭😭
I’m probably not the first one to point this out somewhere, but when Willow says, I think I’m kinda gay” she is wearing an outfit that is the spitting image of her vampire doppelgänger, but the original quote was from regular Willow
It's so interesting to me that both Willow and Tara have cast spells to protect themselves that went wrong and affected their friends (Something Blue and Family). I wonder if that's why Tara gives Willow another chance even though she knows she'll fail. She's paying forward the second chance the gang gave her.
That’s very likely,.. but then Tara is just a sweetheart in general and always gives people chances or the benefit of the doubt. I doubt her experience in ‘Family’ would have made much of a difference.
I said this in my recap for the episode but Tara isn’t just leaving for her own sake in being abused by her girlfriend.
She’s leaving for everyone else’s sakes too because she knows that she’s an unintended enabler for Willow to use magic. She figures that if she stays away, Willow will be less tempted because a huge reason why Willow uses magic is to impress and control Tara.
Tara is stepping away much for the same reason Giles is stepping away. However, Tara is more justified in it because Willow isn’t depressed. She’s in full control of her actions and choices and she shouldn’t be babied.
@@Girl4Music Yeah, I felt like Tara was doing it as much for Willow as for herself. Not to downplay the courage it take for her to stand up for herself, of course
@@TheRulesLawyerRPG especially when it’s something as serious as behavioural-based addiction. They don’t play it any differently to a real life drug/alcohol addiction and lot of people hate that about this arc. But I think even though the use of the metaphor is zany, the circumstances surrounding it are not.
They really show you how serious it is when Tara just up and leaves and then you get ‘Smashed’/‘Wrecked’ from the absence of the only thing that is holding Willow back from complete self-destruction. Removing the moral compass from the narrative enough to show you how Willow really does have magic addiction as a mental disorder as well as a physical dependence. Her mindset is the issue and a lot of people don’t understand this about Willow’s magic addiction arc.
It’s not about the magic. Not really.
It’s about the power magic imbues her with.
Willow’s real addiction is not to a physical substance. It’s emotional. It’s internal. It manifests physically because of how out of control she really is with it. And you don’t truly realize how bad it is until Tara leaves Willow.
19:57 You recognition of Michelle Branch is yet another reason to love this channel. 👍😻😢
Michelle Branch? Yes it is. A lot of the bands at the Bronze over the years were very real bands. Shonen Knife. One of John Lennon's sons and many more were on the show much like Charmed from the same ol' network 🙂
Yes and they always said the musical guest names in the start of the episodes of Charmed
Willow didn't even try. After getting the week she showed she didn't deserve it.
SoFie is correct in that Giles opinion about leaving should have changed once acknowledging Buffy's depression. And if he didn't it would be sad because he did notice it in _When She Was Bd._
7:18 It's been an addiction since restoring Angel's soul (everyone in the group [even those not here anymore] had a worried and/or caution moment about it before then), but the point of too far was Buffy's resurrection.
"Take your damn Spike's." I always wondered if the vampire's amusement was scripted or genuine. It looks more like when Ricky Ricardo was amused at his wife's performance in _I Love Lucy_ than a character being scripted to do so.
I think the only problem I have with the episode is that the crew mentioned in S1 that musical guests for The Bronze are supposed to be non big-named/non popular groups and people. Michelle Branch violates that. It's a great song for the emotion of it all and the situation that is playing out, but in-universe why would she be in the small town of Sunnydale?
Mayor died and his restrictions on big names coming to town was over? Mayor didn't want state/nationsl eyes on Sunnydale?
I love the pun of the loan shark. I don't know if the phase is too old now, but a loan shark used to be those kind of sleezy guys who loaned money at exorbitant interest rates and would usually threaten to break your kneecaps if you didn't pay up.
Fun fact: "Randy" means horny in english slang. So spike was mad at his name for a lot of reasons.
i am so glad someone did a reaction video to this episode it makes me laugh so hard, definitely in my top 3 favorite episodes! spike saying “randy giles? why not name me horny giles or desperate for a shag giles!?” when i watched the scene i laughed til i cried for real
Remember when Willow unilaterally decided to give Angel his soul back even though Buffy was on her way to kill him? This version of her has been slow-cooking for four seasons.
As much as I hate that moment, Willow had everyone's support in casting the spell at the library. Willow just made the choice to do it again later, but Xander was the only one who made it clear he said no (and that's what his opinion was earlier).
You analysing this so perfectly makes it hard for me to believe this is your first time watching. 😂 Anyway, another great reaction. 😉🙂
In defence of Giles, I think his reasoning is that OK, it's a terrible time to leave Buffy, when she is hurting and there is pressure on her. However, given her life, there will ALWAYS be some valid reason not to go, always a reason to wait. I believe his argument is if he doesn't go now, then later might be too late and she will have to deal with things alone anyway. It's still a heartbreaking decision for both of them.
The way they wrote Giles' leaving was awful, but the man was missing his family growing up. The way they wrote Willow & Tara at this time was even worse; especially as they totally avoided dealing with the fact that Willow had raped Tara in the musical ep; mean they had sex when Tara had no way of consenting. Willow crossed the line in these eps and everyone was just ready to forgive her. Though I didn't realise it; this was when I began to loathe Whedon. Most everything fanfic-wise has been to 'fix', or try to, these events. Haven't watched these eps since the tenth anniversary in 2007. kerk
Thank you for acknowledging that that Willow/Tara scene was rape/sexual assault.
Spike demostrate to care and ti be good or at least better even without a soul, so why buffy and the others treat him bad
Shark demon with lovely manners towards Buffy should not be killed. Buffy includes bad guys because they are an important source of information and help. If she had staked Spike early on think of how less rich the show would be. When they give Willy a beat down for info or run into Clem or get some exposition from any number of others it makes the Buffy world a fun rich place.
Good description: The funniest sad episode ever
"wow, the way willow is treating magic this season is so scary. She's so dependent on it. It's almost like she's developing a drug addiction! 😲"
Haha. Awwww c'mon don't be ridiculous! That's such a silly idea
Hahahahahaha
Ha ha
Ha
Ha
Ugh. So funny and so gut wrenching. I hate Tara and Willow falling apart. 😥
Not sure if it's been said already, but "tabula rasa" literally means "tabula rasa".
Willow doing the spell kind of reminds m of Something Blue in season 4. Instead of letting time heal the pain of Oz leaving, she wanted to use magic to make the feeling go away immediately.
In both that episode and this one, she just wants a quick fix.
That's not how it works, Willow!
Yep, as I said in a previous comment. ‘Something Blue’ is like ‘Tabula Rasa’ on a leash. The consequences are much less serious but the damage could have been just as great had it gone on any longer than it did.
You have such good instincts!
Her predictions are fucking spot on. I’m always impressed by her assessments given it’s a first watch.
You are, without a doubt, the most insightful Buffy reactor ever. Come back to your review of this episode/your thoughts at the end of the season and you'll see. :)
I love the picture with the eyes behind you. So cool. I want one!
That SIri moment! 🤣
my sweet summer child...
yes its michelle branch
Tabula Rasa is a Latin phrase that's commonly translated as something akin to "Clean Slate"
Best buffy reactor. Your nails look great btw.
You analysis is on point. But this season....oh....this season....
I've watched all your buffy's reaction in a few weeks. I'm gonna die waiting for the rest of them!
Girlll, you're gonna wanna watch the next episode stat!! It's arguably one of the best episodes of the series.
I love, love, LOVE watching ur reactions HAHAHHA 💖
Lol "am I sad"
Computer: sucks
"She has no financial means, no support, no college degree, she has to be a parent for her younger sibling, and also continue her Slayer duties. And she's only 20 years old." This is true whether Giles is present or not.
It might be too easy to let our attachment to Giles prevent us from seeing his absence might be necessary. While Buffy is still recovering at this point, it's still been a month since she was resurrected. The difference between then and now is night and day. If Buffy absolutely needed him, was at risk for suicide, severe depression, or anything that she and the other Scoobies couldn't handle, he would have stayed. And while Buffy's "Heaven" secret came out, she continues to internalize and doesn't use Giles or her friends for that kind of support, she was deferring her responsibilities to him. If she doesn't take these on now, then when? When will she be okay enough to grow up? Do any of us ever reach that milestone?
It should also be considered that Giles might not be able to afford financially supporting her. When he wrote her a check, Buffy said, "This is too much," which implies that he's not as well off as we might assume. He went over a year without a salary. The retro pay might have been enough to purchase the Magic Box, but with Anya's salary and how often the place gets wrecked, the profit is probably just good enough to be worthwhile. He already moved, too, and might already be locked into a lease and other potential commitments we don't know about, so he was likely living out of a cheap motel and 1-2 bags worth of clothes.
Know your ahead of episodes posted, but no discussion of spoilers. One of the best things about season 6 is that it swings for the fences more than any other. Even if it whiffs on a couple of things.
Ever seen Les Mis, Les Misereables? Great musical, still love it; but after you've seen it, or heard the main songs more than a couple of times. . .Well, you start to say to yourself, geez, stop whining. They're not dealing with anything that everybody alive has to deal with eventually. And bring a lot of it on themselves. The Buffy character's self-destructive taste in men. The Willow character's decisions, since at least season 2 to use magic to solve everything, irregardless of in the buffyverse brute forcing magic snaps right back in a way you may not like. Irregardless of knowing when she's upset, there's a good 50-50 its gonna blow up in her face.
Good call on the drug relation
You such a smart watcher and reactor. You mentioned what Glory did to Tara before Tara addressed it herself. You are always anticipating stuff.
It always amazes me that in episodes where characters lose their memories en masse they immediately leap to conclusions on romantic relationships. You’d think commonsense would apply & they’d be cautious and hands off in case they’re wrong.
Willow from Buffy slowly morphing into Lily from HIMYM right before our eyes.
How so?
If you watched HIMYM then you know how manipulative Lily (also played by Hannigan) was.
@@fxc06066 I haven’t. Thanks.
Everytime i watch this episode I'm always so disappointed in willow 😞
Same
Giles left because Anthony had to leave to take care of family stuff in England, but I agree that it was handled badly.
In regards to the musical episode, since it jumped to something else before I could comment, it's completely cool to watch it a bunch of times, we all have. Giles brought in someone to do the music, a vocal coach and a choreographer. I know Anthony had been recorded and James had a band, and I'm sure Amber has but I haven't looked it up. And yeah, it was totally a musical.
And yeah, Spike was easy as all get out, he's been my type since his first episode but I've wanted to fuck his brains out since this one. This is a fun season, you'll enjoy.
I sang where do we go from here as I was leaving the LSAT and ended up dropping out of law school, kinda fitting.
Oh, and be sure to watch the credits through to the end.
I actually get where Giles comes from. As an adult you need to learn independence and the ability to survive on your own in the real world. Giles felt like he was holding Buffy back in this regard. He would keep “babying” her and because of that she would always turn to him when she has a problem. I totally get where he comes from.
He doesn't have to leave the country though. Instead of dropping that bomb on Buffy, he could've at least given her & himself a chance to adjust by talking about it first. It's just too sudden of a decision.
Buffy is already alive longer than any other Slayer in history. Giles is just salty his Slayer keeps surviving and his 2-3 year stint in the colony has turned into a life. If Giles had a few friends his own age or a life, he'd have stuff to do except whine Buffy needs him too much/doesnt need him at all (which is why he was elaving last year and in S4)
@@jp3813 the actor wanted to leave the show to be with his family. So yes either way he would have been leaving SunnyDale.
@@yayaf28 Sunnydale isn't a country.
@@jp3813 no kidding. Where did I say sunnydale was a country 🤦♂️ am not going to to say he was going to leave the USA. All we know is he went back to England. Never said where or else I would have said the city instead.
Spike and Buffy kissing
The song You are the one I love...
I agree with all you are saying about these two at the last part starting from 24:54. Yes, she felt comfortable near him and was looking at him in a new light, I agree. And it was pretty okay actually and sometimes cute even.
So it still could have been better, less violent at least. They could develop this soulless storyline in a bit different way because they already invested lot of time and details in portraying Spike's character and Buffy's changing attitude towards him. Starting from S5.
He still can be a bad boy but more like the one who has some good in him at the same time struggling with the main issue - no soul. And Buffy could be a little less of a b*tch to him. But instead they are like 'f*ck all this, let's create a crazy mix of agression and porn together. So be it'. Let's burn all the place down 🔥🔥Of cause this is easier to portray so that's what we have instead. BURNING EVERYTHING 😈