I watched until season 6 last time and got too depressed. Trying again and when I got to this scene, I realized it's the best show of all time. The two best actors in the show and they do this. Amazing. No sarcasm.

😭😭😭

Mostly to simplify my reply to the person asking about box sets, so I can just put all the photos in one place.

Bought immediately when they came out. 24 & 23 years old respectively.

Amazon, Funko, EE live from Wed.

Long time coming! I love that all these years later we are still getting new products

Something that I didn’t really appreciate on my first watch of Buffy 20 years ago was how fantastic the character development is. Spike’s arc is such a perfect example of this - he has so many eras. Big bad, not that bad, impotent vampire in need of help, impotent vampire willing to help, buffy obsession, Buffy’s guilty pleasure, soul journey spike, soul having spike.

What’s your favourite spike era? For me, it’s chip spike needing help, acting unashamedly like a scoobie and kinda getting away with it. (I’m talking pangs, something blue, etc. ).

(Pics are mine, snapped in moments I’ve felt his gorgeousness needs to be captured)

These used to belong to my mom but now they belong to me! After I watched the whole series from ages 10-12, I lent this same set to my best friend. They’ve been well loved! Only 4 episodes per disc. The menu music feels very nostalgic.

I have the exact some one as pictured above, I know there is a lot of different versions out there. Would love to see your ones.

Billionth rewatch and just noticed this random ass human rallying with the Demon Biker Gang 😂

Some observations from my rewatch:

I like that Once More with Feeling turns the stereotype of a musical on its head.

- In a lot of musicals the “I want” song is about wanting adventure or something new. Buffy just wants to WANT to be alive. This is further accentuated by the overture, with Buffy staring at her alarm clock while the rest of the house is in motion. Then at the magic box you have Giles going to work and Xander and Anya wedding planning. They are all “going through the motions” of their day, but Buffy is the only one really noticing it as unpleasant.

- None of the characters sing about something happy, except Tara. None of them are happy at this point in the story. It really sets up the tone of the season well.

Giles is constantly interrupted in this episode, either by the rest of the Scooby gang or by musical numbers happening in the street. This is an effective way to illustrate what Giles is feeling at this point in the season. The Scoobies are more than capable of taking over his role as watcher and he’s not just unnecessary, he’s “standing in the way” of their growth.

Buffy shows multiple times that she is depressed, and only Giles seems to notice something is wrong.

- She does her normal rallying speech in I’ve Got a Theory, but she’s flat emotionally. There’s no passion behind it. Giles calls her out on it a couple of times.

- Giles leaves because he’s trying to get her to snap of it. He thinks tough love will help Buffy. Obviously it doesn’t and she actually REALLY needed him to lean on, but I do think backing off on doing everything for her was a good call.

- Buffy has no idea if Dawn got off to school ok. She has the same attitude when Dawn gets kidnapped. She leaves it up to Giles. She’s completely mentally checked out from things that used to matter to her.

Something to Sing About

- My favorite number by far in the whole episode. It’s such a unique way to reveal Buffy secret.

- Buffy doesn’t just reveal where she was, she reveals how much she resents her friends for bringing her back. Probably because she feels like it means there is never any escape from her responsibilities. Hell she might be worried they’d drag her back again if she died again. She feels like a player on stage being forced to perform.

- Spike as Buffy’s lifeline. He’s the only one for several episodes who makes her feel anything. This is the start of that. The curtains close on a kiss god knows 😉

So anyways, I think this episode is brilliant. I always have.

Going off of my last poll…

Hi what made Drusilla so loyal to her sire Angelus as she fell into line when he came back in season 2 of Buffy and was having an affair with him much to Spike's anger?

So I'm watching through Buffy/Angel for the first time in many years, and I'm just getting to the musical episode 6-7 and I was just sitting here thinking it all sounds so familiar. I sat for a bit and finally thought it sounded a lot like Dr Horrible's sing along blog. I didn't even know that Joss Whedon worked on that as well and knowing that now it makes so much sense 🤣 now it's been a super long time since I've seen that too, so I wouldn't be surprised if I was just imagining it, is the music between the 2 really that similar or am I just crazy? 🤣

Bangel fans, it's time to sign up for another year of
the I Will Remember You Marathon!

We're just 2 weeks away from November, when we will be publishing one new Buffy/Angel fanfic every day in honor of the Ange episode "I Will Remember You," which originally aired on November 23, 1999.

Along with fanfiction, the marathon has grown to welcome submissions of artwork, including fan art, edits, and gifs.

This marathon first got its start in 2004, more than twenty years ago, and we need both new and returning participants to keep it alive.

To join in the 2026 IWRY Marathon:

Writers sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeitH5nLWTGiT6Ncnk3tSW3mBUMwSxsA2fIb4PXa41drGP4KQ/viewform

Artists sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdyELfa2Wq1ohxu3blgB7Lx-wKJsDnLKZ15rUJgOKu093sLJw/viewform

What kind of stories are accepted?

We will accept any piece of fanfiction, of any rating, that is 500 or more words long and focused on the relationship of Buffy/Angel (and/or Buffy/Angelus). Your story must also be complete and can't be a crossover with a non-Buffyverse fandom. We don't accept stories that have been previously published.

Where will the stories be posted?

The stories will be posted to the 2026 collection on the I Will Remember You Marathon Archive on AO3. We will provide instructions about how to post your story to the AO3 collection closer to the event.

Can I help out?
We would love to have you join in whatever capacity is best for you. Some roles to consider include:
• Beta reading
• Supporting the writers with reviews and comments on fics
• Promoting the marathon on your platform of choice

I always thought Dawn showed a surprising amount of maturity toward the end of season 5, especially considering everything she went through. After initially struggling with the revelation that she was the Key and that her entire childhood was manufactured, she gradually accepted that her memories didn't make her relationships with Buffy and Joyce any less real. She also began to understand the sacrifices Buffy was making to protect her, and by "The Gift," she was even willing to sacrifice herself to close the portal and save the world.

That's why her characterization in season 6 frustrates me so much. It's like the writers completely forgot about that growth and decided to make her even more immature than she was when she was first introduced.

I understand that Dawn was dealing with grief and abandonment issues after losing Joyce and Buffy, but I feel like after "After Life," the writers turned her into such a whiny character purely for contrived drama to reinforce season 6's whole theme of "life is the enemy." It's like everyone had to be miserable, and Dawn's contribution was constantly complaining about nobody paying attention to her.

What bothers me most is that season 5 had already established that Dawn was capable of understanding serious situations and putting other people's needs ahead of her own. I would've preferred seeing her continue developing that maturity and gradually find her place within the Scooby Gang rather than having to wait until season 7 for that development.

I don't dislike Dawn at all. I just think the writers struggled to give her a personality outside of being Buffy's little sister once the Key storyline was finished, and sacrificed her character development to make season 6 even more depressing.

Hey got two tickets going for this Monday's performance of Buffy Revamped in London. Selling at face value (£35 each) - DM me if interested!

Buffy got mad because he didn’t realize it was not her while Riley defended himself saying he thought it was her. So in his mind he was having sex with Buffy and has a clear conscious because of it but Buffy thought he should have knew something was wrong. Do you give him and grace here?

i'm at S2E5, and why the fuck does every single episode HAVE to include something romantic or cheesy asf?

I'm just trying to chill on a Saturday night and watch a fun, relaxing show. I don't need a whole romantic subplot shoved down my throat every episode.

My question is: when does the focus finally shift to more interesting stuff?