30 Days of Buffy - Day Sixteen

[samsom]

OMG, it's half over! I don't know whether to be depressed or relieved. *sigh*

Catching up on comments tomorrow night, guys. Promise.

Meantime, the beat goes on. An episode I liked that everyone else hated.



I’m not sure hate is the word, it might be too strong. But I know most aren’t fans of Some Assembly Required.

*raises hand*

I am.

Sure, it’s got a by-the-numbers MOW. Eric is appropriately the creepiest one-shot villain we’ve seen so far (and I have to say, I think I’ve known guys like him in high school).

But the story is not why I love this episode. It’s the interpersonal drama getting played out between the Story A scenes. Buffy and Angel have two different conversations during the same talk, Buffy and Willow discuss her When She Was Bad dance-pas. Angel and Buffy and Xander all get jealous. Willow and Cordelia have a decent conversation. It wasn’t clear to me when the episode first aired, but the season arc was tightening up, finding its direction and moving into position.

Cordelia is drawn more and more to the Scoobie fight. In the text, I think we’re supposed to believe it’s because of Xander. However, I think, already having come to some sort of decision during Prophecy Girl, she’s seeking to fill those air pockets she’ll tell Harmony about on AtS. The Scoobies don’t recognize this (I don’t think Cordy does either, tbh) and don’t make her feel all that welcome in their inner sanctum. But she stays anyway, whittling stakes and conveniently delivering the necessary exposition about Daryl.

So for a Cordy stan like me, it’s got what I look for, character revelation and growth.

Oh, and one more thing it has.

That awesome not-so-subtle C/A subtexty goodness in the beginning of the episode. Angel stalks Cordelia for a little while before revealing himself and telling her he wasn’t sure it was her at first – he was looking for Buffy.

Riiiiight.

A vampire with heightened senses and a girl calling out repeatedly and asking if it was Xander playing a trick.

But he wasn’t sure it was her.

More like, Cordelia the Cheerleader smelled really good when she was afraid so Angel had himself a taste, prolonged the terror just a bit because, like he says later on, she’s a screamer.

Angel’s a naughty vampire.

*rereads*

This somehow seemed more like an AtS episode review, didn’t it?

Huh.

Comments

[angryscientist.livejournal.com]

Riiiiight.

A vampire with heightened senses and a girl calling out repeatedly and asking if it was Xander playing a trick.

But he wasn’t sure it was her.

Hee!

The episode was so much fun... except for Angel's tan jacket. I know the C/A was played up for laughs but the ha-has are on everybody who doesn't see it: Cordy totes has him doing what she wants after he "save(s) her from an arm"

Yeah, my C/A goggles firmly attached, possibly resticting bloodflow but IDGAF.

And I liked the episode for being a Frankenstein rip-off, I grew up on that book.

[samsom.livejournal.com]

Honestly, if you're going to have a show about, vampires and other demons, Frankenstein's monster is contractually obligated to make an appearance sometime during the run.

How much did I love that Angel drove Cordelia home even though it was supposed to be about Buffy? SOOO much. Love that whole ep for the C/A subtext alone.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

That awesome not-so-subtle C/A subtexty goodness in the beginning of the episode. Angel stalks Cordelia for a little while before revealing himself and telling her he wasn’t sure it was her at first – he was looking for Buffy.

Riiiiight.


You know what? The world needs more BtVS early season C/A fics. I just might re-watch this episode and write one myself someday!

[yazizzle33.livejournal.com]

I'm always looking for C/A during BtVS fics, so I would read this happily, possibly even gleefully. :D

[samsom.livejournal.com]

I can't give up my babies but perhaps a lung or kidney...if you wrote that? I'd read it and pet it and call it George.

Picture this: Cordelia getting tied up while in her cheerleading uniform. Instead of Buffy rescuing her (though I have this femmeslash fantasy...) it could be Angel. Horny, hungry, but angstily noble Angel. *nods knowingly*

[yazizzle33.livejournal.com]

I remember someone mentioning, it might've been you, that this episode was what made them a C/A shipper or what fueled the fire that was lurking there, I don't exactly remember. BUT, the important thing is that after I read this I went back and rewatched "Some Assembly Required" and realized that Angel was totally stalking Cordy there. I don't blame the man. I would've done it too, especially in that cheerleaders outfit.

But yeah, that's all I got lol. I kinda feel like reading some fic set around this time actually.

[samsom.livejournal.com]

I believe that might have been nikkiwawa79. She's been a C/A shipper since SAR. I think I shipped them subconcsiously but was still drinking the canon Kool-Aid.

There really ought to be more fic. *sigh*

[yazizzle33.livejournal.com]

Ah, I think you're right. I think it was Nikki!

LOL I was more of a roll-my-eyes-at-canon kind of viewer. ;)

Seriously!

[manthk.livejournal.com]

Not my favourite episode but how much do I love that scene??? C/A began here. Okay, it began at "salty goodness" but this is like one of those things where you point at later, and just smile to yourself..

Even though I had to objectify Angel like that, but I am so happy that Cordelia "got" him in the end..

[samsom.livejournal.com]

LOL, I love objectifying him. A little. Or a lot. LOL

Cordy and Angel are like the Scoobie rejects - never completely belonging, never truly being accepted by the Core Four. So I love it more than cake that they found each other in the end. I like to believe that, even if they'd stayed in Sunnydale, they still would have gravited towards each other. If anything because outsiders stick together.

The dumpster scene is very foreshadowy. I think you made a recent entry about that, the fact that while Angel was looking for Buffy, he found Cordy (in the last place he expected).

And in Halloween, when amnesia!Buffy is running from his fang face, it's Cordy speaking for him and him letting her, acting as his 'human' connection. Very foreshadowy all the way around with those two.

[manthk.livejournal.com]

Angel, Cordy, Wes and Faith...the ones who never fit in. I am putting Faith in because she belonged to Ats.

Halloween:
I loved how Cordelia described Angel to DamselBuffy: "Angel's a good vampire. He would never hurt you." "he's our friend." Were the writers seriously not writing C/A when they wrote this...

And another random Halloween goodness: When Angel and Cordelia are sitting at the coffee table, and he's laughing at what she says, she is talking about cars. I never quite got that till The Vision Thing. He was laughing because he got the joke. He actually liked cars. Did Buffy even know things like that about him?

[samsom.livejournal.com]

I think Angel kept a lot of things about himself from Buffy - and honestly, if she knew, would it have registered? She didn't know what to do with his gift of the book on her birthday, so....

Another thing that binds Cordy and Angel, though they don't really notice or acknowledge it, is that both of them are creatures of luxury. Both of them appreciate the better sheets, the better fabrics for furniture and clothes, the finer things.

In short, she knows how to relate to Angel on levels that Buffy can't.

[manthk.livejournal.com]

Compare gifting a book to Buffy(a girl who hates school, and whose running gag is that she mispronounces big words) and getting those clothes for Cordy in Disharmony. And we will know yet again why Angel/Cordy beats Buffy/Angel

That is so true. They do like their things to be a little luxurious. And cars. They both like cars. I will not let this go ever.