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After their horrifying loss at the vineyard, the gang turn against Buffy and begin to follow Faith instead. Meanwhile, Spike and Andrew travel to an old church to question a priest about Caleb.

Link to the reaction:

Angel will be up after few hours.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7e5ypiuknufmamr/Buffy%207x19.mp4?dl=0

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Comments

Eve Black

gurl yesssss your thoughts after are completely correct in my opinion!

Tjbosslyfe

Anya wanted that Buffy smoke since the episode she took out those frat guys . She has a grudge against Buffy. She never hid she thought Buffy was being a hypocrite. Buffy lost her fun loving personality. And the group didn't like Buffy take charge attitude it backfired on buffy for sure .

Hannah Weber

I loved your rant Sofie and I knew something similar probably happened to you, you seem like such an empathic person and I know sometimes people take advantage of that.

Judson

"What is Dawn going to do against The First anyway, scream 'get out, get out, get out'?" I choked on water laughing!!! XD

Raven Dark

I am another one of the few that happens to see everyone's side in that ending argument. Although I love this episode, I usually find it too hard to watch with reactors because I can see both sides, and I often find it too hard to explain why. That, and some reactors actually agree with the Scoobies kicking her out, which pisses me off to the point where I can't think straight. For the record, though I can see where the Scoobies are coming from. I still think the others were out of line. There's so much to address here, but I will try. This is gonna be long, guys. I think the thing we have to remember here is that the Scoobies' reactions toward Buffy in that final argument, along with everyone else's, come from a place of completely understandable mortal terror. I believe a lot of people miss that aspect of the group's side because the kind of fear I'm talking about isn't a kind most people really understand or have ever known. We're not talking about fear that you're parents are going to be pissed because you stayed out too late, or that a boy/girl will reject you. Or in Giles's and Woods' cases, that there won't be any job or money now (both of which have been well covered in earlier episodes). Those are normal person fears. Buffy led them into a trap that cost lives, cost Xander his eye, and put the potentials in a dangerous situation none of them were ready for. The potentials are mostly still teens, and they are afraid the way teens would be. Giles and Wood are afraid for them the way adults like them, whose job it once was to look out for and protect children, should be. Buffy made, what to them, seems like a terrible call. And in their eyes, she was about to make the exact same one again. In a group like this one, which has taken on quasi-military dynamics, when the person in charge causes something that devastating to happen, and it's about to happen again, the natural thing is to want that person not to have said leadership. They're blaming Buffy for what happened because there is no one else to blame. Quick sidebar to some separate things about individual characters' remarks before I switch to Buffy's side. Rona's comment, "Ding Dong, with bitch is dead," comes from things like Buffy calling Cloe an idiot for killing herself, and berating the potentials for it. I don't like her remark, but I get it. Also, Rona never had a watcher, she's never been trained before coming to Sunnydale, and she has no idea what it's like to be a leader in a situation where there are no good choices. I don't like Dawn taking everyone else's side, either, but here's the thing. I think the idea behind that was that she's a victim of "group think." To me, it makes sense. Couple the choices Buffy's made and the way she's acted sometimes, (ie, Cloe's death), with Dawn feeling the same fear everyone else is after what happened. Then bring in the fact that at The Bronze, when Buffy was getting on the girls for the way they were acting, Dawn tried to explain, and Buffy sent her off without even listening to her. Which, at least in Dawn's eyes, she did a lot earlier in the show. Then bring in everyone getting all heated and emotional in that argument, and it's going to rub off on her. Think of Dawn as going, "She doesn't listen to anyone, not even me, she's running off into the same situation that got people hurt or killed again, and she doesn't trust us, as Giles said. She said she won't sit here and watch us be picked off. Then why the hell is she even here? Fine, she won't be." And remember, real, heightened fear. She's too afraid to see the rest of it, that this is Buffy's house, seven years she's been there, ect. Lost perspective. Group think. I don't think Wood was siding with Faith because he likes her, I think he just felt like Buffy wasn't listening because of her history with her. But that, in part, brings us to Buffy's side. Before I get into the argument itself again, when Buffy reacted to Cloe's death, I don't think she was just being a bitch. She afraid others would fall for the First's tactics and they'd lose more girls, so she was detaching herself, looking at it like an emotionless general who has to see that kind of reaction as weak to keep people alive. The potentials and the others aren't going to get that, so to them, it's just going to seem like yet another thing Buffy is doing that makes it feel like she thinks she's "better than us." Which helps lend weight to Anya's speech. "Suicide is weak," is a horrible message, but this is one hell of a mitigating circumstance. I also don't think that, as another commentor said, Buffy was just bringing up Faith's past to sling mud or bring her down. I get why it seems like that, but I think she said it because to Buffy, it seemed like Faith was "doing it again," winning everyone over so that no one listens to her. Faith has a habit of manipulating those on Buffy's side in order to take what she has, so it makes sense she would bring it up again, because she thinks she's doing it again. Part of what makes this argument so brilliant is that while Buffy is wrong, Faith isn't doing that this time, Faith's and Buffy's characters are written so well that it makes sense that Buffy would see it that way. Especially when Wood, who just met her, appears to be taking her side. As sad as it is, even Willow's reaction makes sense. What happened to Xander on its own is enough to explain that. Remember how close they are. I also think there was a little group think mixed in there when it comes to Willow, but also, she is as afraid as everyone else, seeing Buffy's decision to throw everyone into the lion's den again, as rash and potentially too costly to allow. With Buffy saying things like. "You have to fall in line," it probably felt like the only way to avoid another disaster is to take her authority away. Now, Buffy's side of the argument itself. She is one hundred percent in the right here, but she did make a horrible choice that had a huge cost and little to no payoff. I think what people miss when some say she deserves what she got, is that there was no better choice. They also miss the detachment thing when she reacts to Cloe's death. And then with her wanting to help Spike. Yes, it is partly about her feelings for him, but it's also because they do need him. Which the potentials won't fully understand because they weren't there to see their history happen. That's also why Rona said she's sick of her deal with the Spike guy. She doesn't really "know." What they see as reckless is just Buffy reacting the way she has to because there isn't a better way out. Doing something is better than sitting there waiting to be picked off, and she had good reason to think there was something at the vineyard worth going after. As Sophie said, what else are they supposed to do? I also get why Buffy reacted the way she did to Dawn at The Bronze, not listening to her explanation. She's like the parent who smells booze on the kids' breaths and sees them fighting what should be good guys, and she sends her own kid off without supper without listening to the why. I don't even think the little part where Faith stole the hot pocket from Andrew was just a throwaway. It was to remind us that Faith still has a habit of taking what she wants, which would help us to see Buffy's way of thinking on her during the argument, when it appears everyone's taking her side remarkably fast. Which they are doing, one, because they're afraid of what will happen if Buffy is allowed to continue to lead, and two, while Buffy is being detached, and it's coming across as if she doesn't care about them (she doesn't even know their names, after all), Faith is not. There is more, but this is getting way too long, so I'll just leave it at this. I have always really loved that argument. It's done incredibly well, and it's built out of characters' natural reactions, driven by the characters being who they are, rather than because the plot needs it. I love this season so so much, and I'm so sad it's almost ending for you, Sofie. I'm going to miss this part of my week.

Henry Sowell

A lot of excellent points. I think most viewers naturally take Buffy's side, and I do as well, but I understand where the others are coming from. Especially the potentials, who are unaware of Buffy's history and don't understand how much she's sacrificed over the years.

Syed Hasnain

Ngl I usually skip this episode because it makes me mad but I might check it out for your reaction to the aforementioned maddening part lol

Raven Dark

Exactly. There's a lot to be said for what can happen in a group during a heated argument like this one, when the majority of the party come into a situation in the middle and end up missing a lot of context. Which, in large part, I think, is where Rona's comments stem from. Thanks for reading my novel, Henry. :D

JDM

This by far is the best reaction and rant for the end of the episode

JDM

When u posted this episode of buffy, u mentioned angel would be put up a few hours later but instead the originals was posted, was this in error or u was it another reason

Summer

I guess it wasn’t an error since the originals was also meant to be posted with Buffy and Angel She’ll post Angel soon hopefully

Wisdom of the Sphynx

SoFie: “…Get out, get out get out!?!?” Me: 🤣🤣🤣🤣 can’t breathe…😵

Ryan Martinez

I can vividly remember watching this episode for the first time and that end scene with the revolt against Buffy had me cussing out everyone. I'll read you some of the transcripts, "YOU UNGRATEFUL FUCKING LITTLE BITCHES", "WILLOW?! YOU TOO?", "ANYA! SHUT THE FUCK UP!", "XANDER, YOU FUCK, HOW DARE YOU." and finally, "GILES WHAT THE FUCK?!" I was a tad upset.

Rockyslide4 4

Yikes. You know it's bad when Sofie gets pissed enough to rant for seven minutes.

xbowalex

Bro faith is so fineee like dayummm

StephanieB

First of all, Sofie, I loved your reaction. And though I can't say I disagree with you, I do feel I've gained a little perspective on things upon rewatch. The potentials really pissed me off at first but coming at it with the perspective that they are all teenagers and remembering how Buffy was early on... well, she wasn't much better and she had her full slayer powers. I mean, how many times did she quit during Season 1? Imagine her reaction if Giles had told her to "fall in line" back then? How many (more) books would she have thrown at him? Overall, all the Scoobies really made me mad but Anya most of all. I HATED her speech. But now on rewatch I'm noticing the parallel of her words to Buffy's own words in Conversations with Dead People: "I have all this power. I didn't ask for it. I don't deserve it." So I'm realizing that this is once again Anya saying the thing others think but don't say. And in this case it is what Buffy herself is thinking. Anya still makes me mad, though, I can't help it. And that makes me even more mad, because I love Anya. Giles baffles me in this episode. I get him maybe not agreeing with Buffy's idea to go back into the vineyard but to not stand up for her when Dawn kicks her out of her own house... What..?? Ridiculous. And where does everyone expect her to go? The whole town is on the verge of an apocalyptic hellscape, it's clearly not safe for her to be out there, slayer powers or no. I see a lot of parallels between this situation and the end of Season 2, when Buffy's kicked out of school, kicked out of her house and wanted for murder. Oh, and she thinks her friends are rooting for her to kill her boyfriend (thanks, Xander). But this time it is worse, as her friends and family are telling her to her face they don't want her there. It's really bleak and my heart, once again, breaks for Buffy. This is still such a hard episode to watch.

Thomas

The previous Buffy we got on May 8th... (Today is the 28th) There four days left to the month... hoping we get a third Buffy. Fingers Crossed

Thomas

Third Buffy!!!! Big Thank You Sofie...

Jonathan Hall

I've got mixed feelings on the end. But I actually think it's great writing. It's realistic that groups often do stupid things and elect people that aren't the best for the job. Look at our governments. People that make hard decisions that are painful are often replaced by the candidates that promise and end to the short term pain regardless of the long term consequences.

Zoé Turcotte

SoFie always Xander,Willow,Giles and the others trust in Buffy it’s just their fear that took over in last episode me I watch the entire series a thousand times for when I was little and after for say that and make a fact

Mark Coyne

My favourite part of this ep is the answer to the question "What kind of band plays during an apocalypse?". Only the same band that has played during every other apocalypse on this show. So happy that Nerf Herder were the last band to play The Bronze.

Catherine Conrad

I understand your rant at the end. When this episode first aired 20 years ago, it was extremely frustrating. Anya definitely was the most out of line with her comments. And for anyone who believes that Buffy was behaving reckless in this season, I would have to question if they have actually paid any attention to this show at all. Including all seven seasons.

Janel Davis

There's an excellent fan edit on YouTube called "Buffy Summers | You Didn't Earn It" that showcases Anya's little rant against clips of Buffy fucking earning it. You should check it out :)