phungus's Full Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 2
This DVD boxed set contains all 22 episodes from the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, plus a bunch of extra features including commentary, interviews, still photos, and background information on the show. It is spread over six discs and comes in a nice fold-out box with many full color promotional photos of the cast.
If you thought season one was good, then you must see season two. The improvements between this and the previous season are amazing, and I've read that the show only gets better from here. In this second season, you can tell they had a little more money to spend on each episode. As a result, the sets are bigger, the monsters look better and are more diverse, and the lighting and music are better. Above all else, the fight scenes have improved ten-fold. While most of the action in the first season was a bit cheesy and low-fi, there are some awesome fight scenes in this one. The stunts are better, the moves are more complex, and everything is much more exciting.
Part of what made Buffy such a popular show was its diversity. Even though it's called Buffy the Vampire Slayer, only about two-thirds of the episodes actually deal with vampires. The premise is that these people live on top of what is called a hellmouth, which is essentially a gateway to hell. This hellmouth provides the town with a constant supply of monsters and supernatural beings to keep Buffy and crew busy when they aren't dealing with those pesky bloodsuckers.
For a show like this to thrive, it has to have some great and compelling writing, and Buffy sports some of the best lines you'll ever hear on television or in the movies. Every episode has at least one instance that exemplifies witty dialogue at its best, and each character is given plenty of opportunities to shine. The beauty of this show is that each episode could stand on its own as an individual story, yet they are all interspersed with updates and continuations to the many different running side stories that continue from the begging of the season until the end. The interpersonal relationships between the characters are just as complicated as the stories in any daytime soap opera.
You will see a lot of changes happen to the characters as season two progresses. The relationship between Buffy and Angel takes a huge turn about midway through the season. Xander and Cordelia bicker more heavily through the first half of the season, then the sparks start to fly and Cordelia takes a much more active role in the show. Even Willow finds her a new boy to hang out with, only he has a few secrets of his own. You'll learn a lot more about the background of Giles and another Slayer will visit the town for a bit. Finally, one of the supporting characters gets killed off in shocking episode.
Below you will find a brief guide to all the episodes in this season. Because the stories all build on each other, I must warn you that there are a few spoilers. I tried not to be too specific, but it was impossible to review some later episodes without revealing what happened in earlier episodes. Proceed with caution.
Episode Guide:
When She Was Bad - Season Two starts off with a bang and shows a dark side of Buffy. The episode begins with her being depressed about her status as a slayer, so she takes on a whole other personality and is mean to all the other students. There is a scene where she seductively plays with Xander by dancing with him at their local hangout and I literally did not breathe until it was over. Whoa. This one was written and directed by Whedon himself, which always means it is one of the best.
Some Assembly Required - This episode is sort of like the Bride of Frankenstein and Cordelia is the main target. Someone is killing girls and getting different parts from them to construct a new girlfriend. I really enjoyed this episode and it further shows how Cordelia is falling in with the group.
School Hard - The recurring characters of Drusilla and Spike launch an attack on the Sunnydale high school sort of like the movie Toy Soldiers or Die Hard. To make matters worse, it happens on parent-teacher night. Not only does Buffy have to save the day, but she has to keep the school principal from talking too much to her mother. This one has an interesting scene where the principal and police seem to indicate that they know about all the demons and vampires in town.
Inca Mummy Girl - This is kind of a weird one, but I still liked it. A foreign exchange student comes into town and brings a few surprises along the way. When poor Xander gets romantically interested in her, the situation gets more complicated.
Reptile Boy - This is a so-so episode about some evil frat boys who are really part of a cult that worships this snake-man demon thing that lives in a cave beneath their frat house. I was a little disturbed by how it showed the college guys hanging out at the high school campus looking for girls.
Halloween - This is one of my favorite episodes of the season and you'll get to see Alyson Hannigan show off her great body for once. It takes place on Halloween night where a spell is cast that causes all of the people to become whatever they were dressed as. Willow was dressed a ghost hooker, Xander was dressed as a Rambo type guy, and Buffy dresses as a snooty noblewoman from centuries ago. The result is hilarious and fun. An old friend of Giles, named Ethan (Robin Sachs), makes his first appearance here.
Lie To Me - An old love of Buffy's comes back into town. At first, you think he's a nice guy wanting to rekindle their grade school romance. The truth is he wants to become a vampire and plans to trade Buffy with the vampires in exchange for immortality. Whedon wrote and directed this one.
The Dark Age - This is a very Giles-centric episode and is about demonic possession. It also shows some developments in the romance between Giles and Jenny Calendar. Ethan, from the Halloween episode, comes back for this one.
What's My Line Parts 1 and 2 - This is the first of three two-part episodes in Season Two. The main plot of this is that a new slayer comes into town and immediately butts heads with Buffy. Giles, of course, loves her because she is sort of like the perfect gung-ho slayer. The only problem is that the new girl will not tolerate Angel, despite him being good for the group. In part two, there is a huge surprise between Xander and Cordelia characters that is one of the greatest moments of the season.
Ted - The late, great John Ritter guest stars as Joyce's (Buffy's mom) new boyfriend. Like most children would react to a parent's new love, Buffy didn't like him at first. As the story goes on, we find out that Buffy has good reason not to like him. This episode is okay but Ritter's performance makes it worth watching.
Bad Eggs - In order to prepare the students for parenthood, they are instructed to carry around an egg with them and try not to break it. Since this is no ordinary high school, you can rest assured that those were no ordinary eggs given to the kids. Two redneck vampires also show up to make things interesting. The coolest part of this whole episode takes place in a mall when Buffy is looking at the people riding on the escalator and then notices that one of them doesn't have a reflection in the mirror behind them.
Surprise and Innocence - This is the second two-part episode and features some major story developments. First, we see a spark grow between Willow and Oz. Second, Buffy and Angel finally get intimate. Three, Jenny casts a spell on Angel that turns him back into his old evil self. Buffy is quite distraught to have slept with Angel just before we went completely evil, and the situation is only further complicated by a new big and bad demon summoned up by Spike and Drusilla. David Boreanaz really shines when the dark side of Angel comes out.
Phases - This is a very interesting episode where we find out that the Oz character is actually a werewolf. While trying to handle the werewolf situation without killing Oz, the group also has to deal with more problems from Angel. This is a great episode.
Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered - This is my favorite episode of season two because it is hilarious. What happens is Cordelia breaks up with Xander so he gets with the school witch (Amy from season one) and has a spell cast on her to make Cordelia fall in love with him. Xander wants her to feel the way he does so that he can break her heart. The problem is that the spell backfires and it makes every female in town, except Cordelia, hot for Xander. They chase him down the street. They rip at his clothes. They even fight each other over him. When Xander seeks solace at Buffy's house and Joyce starts giving him a shoulder massage, you can't help but laugh when Buffy sheepishly asks, "Mom?" It's no coincidence that this episode aired a few days before Valentine's Day.
Passion - This episode features a running voiceover by Angel as he talks about passion and what drives us. In this one, Jenny finds a spell to return Angel back to his good self. This is a dark and emotional episode and one of the supporting characters gets killed off, which was a pretty big surprise. The DVD includes a short interview with Joss Whedon regarding this episode, but don't watch it before seeing the episode or it will spoil the surprise.
Killed By Death - This is arguably one of the top ten worst Buffy episodes ever and certainly not a great follow-up to the belly punch that was delivered at the end of Passion. In this one, a strange virus is putting many of the local kids in the hospital and a demon terrorizes them while they are there. This episode tries to be too much and is pretty weak. The best part of it is a short exchange between Xander and Angel.
I Only Have Eyes For You - Pretty much every show about high school has a Sadie Hawkins episode, and this is it. The Sadie Hawkins dance is where the girls asks the boys. This episode turns out to be a ghost story about a murder/suicide involving two student lovers.
Go Fish - This episode is sort of like a tribute to the classic horror movie The Creature From the Black Lagoon, only this story involves the school swim team. When some people get eaten, Xander goes in to investigate.
Becoming Parts 1 and 2 - This is the third two-part episode and also the killer season finale. It focuses on restoring Angel back to his good self and brings some resolution between him and Buffy. It ends the season on a very big cliffhanger that leaves you dying to know how the third season would begin.
Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format: DVD Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Buffy is sixteen years old and is the chosen one . She gets to kill vampires because it is her destiny to do so. She had a bad reputation at her old s...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.