SMASHED; and the Spuffers did rejoice!

[Saturn 5]

SMASHED
The Good;
Everything with Amy and the Geeks at the museum/with Spike. Especially love Amy and Bufy catching up and Buffy jumping up and down to see over the crowd at the museum, reminding you for all her superpowers she's still a tiny little woman.
The Bad;
If the diamond is so valuable surely even in Sunnydale they'd have more security than some guy called Rusty?
Best line;
Buffy; "How have you been?"
Amy; "Rat. You?"
Buffy; "Dead"
Women good/men bad;
The 2 jerks who dance with Amy at the Bronze
Jeez!;
Don't mind the sex but dislike Spike hitting Buffy before they have sex, fine with a little slap and tickle/hairpulling roleplay but punching and kicking, it's all a little too brutal. It certainly brings the house down.
Kinky dinky;
Joss is right he does write pure porn. Naked Amy. Warren comments that 'size is everything'. Buffy says she thinks about Giles when she's kissing Spike. Must have done the Guffers' hearts good until she catches herself on. As Spike comments he may be into dark sexuality but he is a vamp, he should be treading on the darkside. Interesting point in the commentary that Joss made sure that Buffy kissed Spike first rather than him forcing the kiss on her and her succumbing after a little resistance gothic romance style.
Captain Subtext;
Spike comments that he's the only one 'here for you' in regard to Buffy which is very true. Amy wanted to go to the Prom with Larry, unaware he was gay. Tara and Dawn on the sofa, awwww! (lovely pic of that on the Buffy 2009 calender) Anyone else think that the girl Amy selects for Willow at the Bronze looks the spitting image of Cordelia? (Her stand-in/stunt double?) Maybe Amy picked up on something they never could admit to each other? Warren is concerned that when Spike asks him to examine his 'chip' it's British slang for something else.
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 6
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 3

Scoobies knocked out:
Buffy: 17
Giles: 12
Cordy: 6
Xander: 11
Will: 6
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;3
Dawn; 2
Kills: none but Buffy beats up 2 muggers
Buffy: 103 vamps, 41 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps + 1 demon +1 fawn.
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1½ a demon,
Anya: 1 vamp and 1½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 8 vamps and 2 demon
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 7
Giles: 4
Cordy: 1
Will: 3
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 4
Tara; 1
Dawn;1
Spike; 1

Recurring characters killed: 10
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce

Sunnydale deaths;
93

Total number of scoobies: no more Tara or Giles so 5
Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Spike,

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?) Amy remarks on Xander's yen for demons so presumably she was always aware of the events of seasons 1-3
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost: Buffy and Spike and how!
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Spike; 1 Buffy
Spike; good or bad?
Spike thinks he should be able to feast in muggers. He says he's at the museum out of compassion for the guard but he's surely lying, just an excuse to meet Buffy. Once he thinks his chip is not working he goes out to slaughter the first pretty girl he can find but seems to need to psych himself up to do so.
Dawn in peril; 7
Dawn the bashful virgin; 5
Questions and observations;
Buffy always wanted a pony. Maybe CC let her ride hers? The mugging scene is funny, nice to have some lightness as the writer comments. Spike can punch Buffy, a huge plotline right there. Spike mocks the geeks but isn't he the guy who referred to KITT and Yoda even in season 2? The Geeks have a glitterball in their lair, the same one that Andrew's brother used to train his hellhounds? Dawn refers to a talking cat on TV, Sabrina;TTW?
So, Buffy and Spike? My personal opinion on this is not that Buffy loves Spike but that she needs someone, anyone after her ordeal of being ripped out of heaven (to quote Justine on Angel 'better to feel something than feel nothing"). Unfortunately neither Willow or Xander is available, Angel has his curse, Riley's unreachable, Giles is out of picture and Dawn is out of the question unless you're into some pretty damn extreme Summers/slash (which in fairness a LOT of people are to judge by the plethora of Buffy/Charmed fanfiction in that fetish genre) so Spike fits the bill. That's not to say she doesn't develop feelings for him later but even Spike here comments that he's the only one 'here for her'.
Marks out of 10; 7/10, one for the Spuffers and no mistake, unfortunately I'm not one

[Tea - Total]

The Good ;
When Warren gets to use the blowtorch because his evil comrades are allergic to methane ( Jothan) and afraid of hot things ( Andrew).The freeze ray.The moment of realisation for Spike when he hits Buffy and doest suffer from a headache. And its really sweet that Dawn knows the buttons to push and manipulated Tara by staying. and willow and amy doing havoc in the bronze.

7/10 great ep

[Saturn 5]

Yeah, all the Summer's girls are pretty good at manipulation when they need to be

[Randi Giles]

This was the episode that got me hooked on to Buffy so I'm being very biased giving it a 10/10. As far as Buffy and Spike goes at this point in the series. Obviously Spike wanted Buffy and I think on some level she wanted him too. Just because of the state of mind she was in, she was make trying to forget about her problems. Yes Spike was convenient, but I really don't think Buffy would have hooked with Xander if he was single. Nor Riley and Angel if anything they all would have helped her through it all. Spike of course I'll admit just took advantage wanting to bring her to the darkness.

[Saturn 5]

But she's not just the Slayer, she's Buffy too, she lives as much in the light as the darkness. That's what helps her overcome the Slayer deathwish