Sometimes it just doesn't pay to be the uptight British dude. I mean, you have Rupert Giles, a brilliant if sometimes absent-minded man, and he's got the sexiest job ever of high school librarian--you think the ladies would be all over him, right? Well, in the fictional world of television, they make that out to be a very un-sexy job, and so Giles doesn't get any. Until Season 2, when another teacher, Ms. Jenny Calendar, comes along and rocks his world.

She's a more obscure character who doesn't come around much after Season 2, because she's mostly dead. But she's so pivotal in that season that she's a great pick for the second series of Buffy PALz from Palisades Toys.

She's ostensibly the hot technology teacher, but she's also part of a sort of cyber-coven that believes in the blending of wicca beliefs and modern technology. She becomes a part of the Scooby Gang, and perhaps the most important thing she did as a part of Buffy's allies was introduce Willow to witchcraft. That sets her on a path apart from her friends, and has major consequences later in the series. She's also got a backstory with Angel that teaches us more about what's going on with him, and also resorts in her death.

The Jenny Calendar PALz is one of the best likenesses in the first two series of figures: she comes with two sets of clothing, so she can be the hot tech teacher or the slightly dressier girlfriend of Giles. The greenish dress includes a sort of gauzy bodice that's amazingly rendered--it's a great effect and one of my favorite little pieces of clothing in the line.

The accessories she comes with play into all of the important parts of her character: she comes with a tiny computer disk, a bouquet of flowers, and the "Orb of Thessula"...and her own headstone. So her relationship with Giles, Willow, Angel--and her death--are all contained in one little package. Sweet.

The Jenny Calendar figure also includes the head of The Judge: so this is a good place to address that figure. The Judge is a great figure in his own right--a bonus built by collecting all six regular figures, he's got the same great likeness and articulation that are the hallmark of the PALz series. He goes a bit further than the sculpting of most PALz, with a multihorned sculpted head and a sort of cloak that drapes over his shoulders. And it's great to have another major villain in the line, since the Scoobies are currently outnumbering the baddies they need to take down.

You can find the Buffy and X-Files PALz at Suncoast, Media Play, and Sam Goody; you can also find them at specialty stores, like comic book shops. They're available online, frequently at a discount for buying complete sets or for preordering.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER PALz
SERIES 1
Buffy http://www.epinions.com/content_180773293700
Willow http://www.epinions.com/content_180776570500
Xander http://www.epinions.com/content_180782665348
Giles http://www.epinions.com/content_180819103364
The Master http://www.epinions.com/content_180851216004
Darla http://www.epinions.com/content_180860325508
Angel http://www.epinions.com/content_180931825284

SERIES 2
Buffy http://www.epinions.com/content_189857631876
Cordelia http://www.epinions.com/content_189858156164
Spike http://www.epinions.com/content_189858352772
Oz http://www.epinions.com/content_189857894020
Drusilla http://www.epinions.com/content_189858483844
Jenny Calendar http://www.epinions.com/content_189858680452

MORE BUFFY REVIEWS:
Buffy Season One http://www.epinions.com/content_148969197188
Buffy Season Two http://www.epinions.com/content_158297394820
Buffy Season Three http://www.epinions.com/content_161138445956
Buffy Season Four http://www.epinions.com/content_173637602948
Buffy Season Five http://www.epinions.com/content_178931404420

Angel Season One http://www.epinions.com/content_173638848132
Angel Season Two http://www.epinions.com/content_179964251780
Angel Season Three http://www.epinions.com/content_186518638212


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 5.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure