Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Anne" Review (3x01)

Brief Synopsis: "It is the end of summer vacation, and Buffy is still missing. Willow, Xander, Oz, and Cordelia are attempting to keep the Sunnydale vampire population under control during Buffy's absence, however their success is limited. They miss having the Slayer around, but more than that they miss their friend. Meanwhile, Buffy has been working as a waitress in L.A., going by her middle name, ‘Anne’, and trying to forget her old life. But, of course, someone always needs the Slayer's help, and this time it’s someone from Buffy’s past...”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Becoming Part One & Two" Review (2x21) & (2x22)

Brief Synopsis: "Angelus hatches a plan to awaken the demon Acathla, who will suck the world into Hell. Buffy and the Scoobies must stop him before that happens. Willow attempts to re-ensoul Angel, while Buffy gets some help from the most unexpected of people.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Go Fish" Review (2x20)

Brief Synopsis: "When several members of the Sunnydale High swim team are mysteriously skinned alive, Buffy and the Scoobies take it upon themselves to protect the remaining members, which results in Xander revealing a side of himself that is rarely seen.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "I Only Have Eyes For You" Review (2x19)

Brief Synopsis: “As the Sadie Hawkins dance nears, Buffy faces inner demons as she feels responsible for Angel losing his soul. Meanwhile, Sunnydale High is even more dangerous than usual as students and staff begin spontaneously reliving an old Sunnydale tragedy.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Killed By Death" Review (2x18)

Brief Synopsis: “When Buffy is admitted to hospital with a raging fever, she meets Ryan, a young boy who has the same flu virus. Ryan claims that the sick children in the hospital are being persecuted by a monster that may be death himself.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Passion" Review (2x17)

Brief Synopsis: “Angelus continues his obsessive torment of Buffy by visiting her during the night and leaving presents in her bed. Meanwhile, Ms. Calendar tries to make amends for deceiving Buffy and Giles by attempting to translate the Gypsy curse to restore Angel's human soul, with dire consequences.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered" Review (2x16)

Brief Synopsis: “Xander tries to use Valentine's Day to further his relationship with Cordelia, but she succumbs to peer pressure and breaks up with him. With the help of Amy (who is experimenting with magic), he puts a love spell on Cordelia, which goes horribly wrong, turning him into every woman's desire...everyone except the one who matters most.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Phases" Review (2x15)

Brief Synopsis: “Buffy and the gang track down a suspected werewolf roaming in the woods while trying to stay out of the way of a bloodthirsty hunter who is after the same beast. Meanwhile, Willow worries when Oz doesn’t appear enthusiastic to take their relationship to the next level.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Innocence" Review (2x14)

Brief Synopsis: “After a night of passion with Buffy, Angel awakens as a soulless monster. After killing a human for the first time in decades, he remembers what it’s like to be a true vampire. He then joins Spike and Drusilla in their plan to destroy the residents of Sunnydale.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Surprise" Review (2x13)

Brief Synopsis: “Buffy's seventeenth birthday arrives and the Scoobies prepare a surprise birthday party for her. But when the gang discovers that Spike and Drusilla are planning their own party, Angel may have to leave Sunnydale to keep Dru's party guest, The Judge, from painting the town red.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Bad Eggs" Review (2x12)

Brief Synopsis: “The students are given eggs to look after to teach them about the responsibilities of parenthood. Between trying to protect her egg and dealing with the vampire brothers, Lyle and Tector Gorch, Buffy doesn't notice that her egg is about to hatch.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Ted" Review (2x11)

Brief Synopsis: “Buffy has parental issues when Joyce comes home with a boyfriend, the computer expert and master chef, Ted, whose charming personality impresses everyone. Everyone except Buffy that is, who is not at all willing to give her mother up to someone new. Even Willow and Xander seem to love him, and Buffy must find a way to prove that her fears about Ted are something more than simple jealousy.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “What's My Line Part One & Two" Review (2x09 & 2x10)

Brief Synopsis: “It's ‘career week’ at Sunnydale High, and Buffy is faced with the reality that she has no future apart from her destiny as the Slayer. Meanwhile, in order to stop Buffy from interfering in his plans, Spike wants to make the Slayer’s lack of a future a reality by sending a group of assassins after her called ‘The Order of Taraka’. Plus, Xander and Cordelia are trapped in Buffy's house after being attacked by one of the assassins.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “The Dark Age" Review (2x08)

Brief Synopsis: “The secrets of Giles' dark past come back to haunt him when an old friend turns up dead in Sunnydale. As a troubled youth, Giles (known then as "Ripper") and his friends summoned a demon called Eyghon, The Sleepwalker. Now, Eyghon has returned and is hunting down the people who used to raise him for their amusement. The only two left are Ethan Rayne...and Rupert Giles.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Lie To Me" Review (2x07)

Brief Synopsis: “Ford, an old friend of Buffy's from L.A., shows up unexpectedly in Sunnydale and seems to know that she is the Slayer. When Xander, Willow, and Angel discover that he is involved with a cultish group of disillusioned people who idolise vampires, they must find out Ford's true agenda before it's too late.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Halloween" Review (2x06)

Brief Synopsis: “On Halloween Buffy, Willow, and Xander are "volunteered" by Principal Snyder to take groups of kids trick-or-treating. Buffy seizes the opportunity to impress Angel by dressing as a woman from the time when he was human. After most of the kids in Sunnydale magically become whatever they were dressed as, it is up to soldier-Xander and ghost-Willow to find a way to break the spell and defend Buffy, who is now a weak and frail 18th century noblewoman.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Reptile Boy" Review (2x05)

Brief Synopsis: “Giles is pushing Buffy in her Slayer training, her mother's rules are becoming more and more strict, and Angel is growing more over-protective. Buffy is feeling pulled apart. When Cordelia's college crush shows up on campus with a friend who has eyes for Buffy, Cordelia convinces Buffy to go with her to a frat party. But the party soon turns sinister, and Buffy learns the connection between the fraternity and the local girls who have recently gone missing. Xander, Giles, Angel, and Willow must crash the party before all Hell breaks loose.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Inca Mummy Girl" Review (2x04)

Brief Synopsis: “While on a field trip to the local museum, one of the students breaks a ceramic seal in the coffin of an Incan mummy. The mummy rises and must consume the life-force of others in order to remain alive and retain her human appearance. She tries to fit in with the students at Sunnydale, and even starts to develop real feelings for Xander. But when Buffy, Willow, and Giles realise who and what she really is, they have to rescue Xander before he becomes the mummy’s next victim.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “School Hard" Review (2x03)

Brief Synopsis: “A dangerous new vampire named Spike comes to town, hoping to use the power of the Hellmouth to restore his love, Drusilla, to health. He has killed two Slayers before, and he decides to make Buffy the third, attacking Sunnydale High on ‘Parent Teacher Night’. Buffy must find a way to stop Spike and his vampire minions, lead her mom and the other parents and students to safety, and keep them from finding out that she is the Slayer.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Some Assembly Required" Review (2x02)

Brief Synopsis: “The bodies of several recently deceased teenage girls are stolen from their graves, and most of the parts are discovered in a dumpster on school grounds. From the missing pieces, the gang deduces that someone has collected almost enough parts to build their own girl. Now, all they need is a head, and it has to be fresh.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “When She Was Bad" Review (2x01)

Brief Synopsis: “Buffy returns from summer vacation with a much different attitude than before and recurring nightmares involving the Master. At the same time, the Anointed One and his followers plot their revenge...”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Prophecy Girl" Review (1x12)

Brief Synopsis: “Giles discovers an ancient prophecy which states that Buffy will face The Master and she will die. Upon hearing this, Buffy breaks down and tries to quit her Slayer duties. But when vampires massacre a group of students on campus, she realises that she must face her destiny in order to save her friends, and the world.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight" Review (1x11)

Brief Synopsis: “An invisible force is attacking the students and teachers at Sunnydale High. Buffy and the Scoobies must find a way to stop this unseen menace and determine why it seems to be centring its attacks on Cordelia.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Nightmares" Review (1x10)

Brief Synopsis: “When strange things start happening to the students at Sunnydale High, it seems that everyone is living their worst nightmares. Buffy and the gang must hold together long enough to stop the phenomenon before reality and the nightmare world become one.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “The Puppet Show" Review (1x09)

Brief Synopsis: “The new principal forces Giles to run Sunnydale High's annual talent show, and Buffy, Willow, and Xander have to perform against their will. As if this isn't bad enough, things go further awry when one of the talent show participants is found with her heart removed. Buffy and the gang race against the clock to find the killer, and all the clues point to Morgan and his ventriloquist dummy.”

Ranking The "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" Episodes

After the explosion of the Buzzfeed list yesterday, I've had a lot of requests through my Facebook page (located here :- www.facebook.com/BTVSFC) for my rankings. Luckily, having OCD, I've had a list for the past decade! I've tweaked the list to match my current tastes, but here is my rankings for all 144 "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" episodes, all 110 "Angel" episodes, and a list of all 254 episodes combined!

Please let me know in the comments section what you list is (just comment your top 10 if you don't have time to do them all)...

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “I Robot...You Jane" Review (1x08)

Brief Synopsis: “In 1418, a group of Italian priests use magic to trap the demon Moloch in a book, only to be released if the book is ever read aloud. In 1997, Sunnydale, the computer teacher, Ms. Calendar, is working on a project to digitally scan all the books in the library. When a new arrival in a strange language is scanned, Moloch is released into the computer...and into every computer connected to it. Now Buffy must face Moloch's human minions, while Giles figures out how to exorcise a demon from the Internet. Meanwhile, Willow meets a nice boy online. His name is Malcolm...”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Angel" Review (1x07)

Brief Synopsis: “After Angel saves Buffy from a gang of vampires known as ‘The Three’, their relationship starts to become more intense. As their love blooms, Buffy learns that Angel has been hiding a dark secret. She hesitates, not sure what to believe, but when Angel's secret puts her mother in danger, she knows what she has to do.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “The Pack" Review (1x06)

Brief Synopsis: “While enduring the annual field trip to the zoo, Xander and several other students enter the quarantined Hyena pen and become possessed by the demonic spirit of the wild animals. When Buffy notices a significant change in Xander's personality, she must figure out what happened and how to reverse it before something terrible occurs...like a devoured Principal.”

Meeting Christian Kane (& 'Vampire Ball 4' Recap)

From the 8th-10th of November, Starfury Events ran a convention called 'Vampire Ball 4'. The line-up for this event was Christian Kane ("Angel" and "Leverage"), Georges Jeanty ("Buffy The Vampire Slayer" season eight and nine artist), Jim Parrack ("True Blood"), Michael McMillian ("True Blood"), Kris Holden-Ried ("Lost Girl"), and Paul Amos ("Lost Girl"). I found out about this event earlier this year but thought that it wouldn't be feasible at all due to the fact that it was only 2 weeks after Hallowhedon 5. However, by complete coincidence this convention happened to coincide with my friend Beth's 21st birthday party, which was taking place in London. Very spontaneously, I decided to go to 'Vampire Ball 4' for just the Saturday, as I couldn't give up the chance to meet one of my heroes, Christian Kane...

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Never Kill A Boy On The First Date" Review (1x05)

Brief Synopsis: “Yearning for a normal life, Buffy agrees to a date with the mysterious and brooding Owen. Giles discovers a prophecy of coming danger which would interfere with her plans, but she chooses Owen over battling the forces of darkness. When Giles goes out on his own and is trapped by a group of vampires, Buffy must figure out a way to balance dating and Slaying.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Teacher's Pet" Review (1x04)

Brief Synopsis: “Xander, and most of the male population of Sunnydale High, are falling all over themselves trying to impress the new substitute biology teacher, Ms. French. When Buffy sees this femme fatale scare off a particularly nasty vampire, however, she begins to suspect that Xander may be in serious trouble.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Witch” Review (1x03)

Brief Synopsis: “It's time for cheerleader tryouts, and Buffy can't resist! However, when the girls start getting knocked out of the competition by spontaneous combustion, sudden blindness, and other freak accidents, Buffy and the gang begin to suspect that someone may be behind these not-so-normal occurrences. Could someone be using dark magic in order to make the squad?”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “The Harvest” Review (1x02)

Brief Synopsis: “Buffy rescues Willow and Xander, but Jesse is left in the hands of the vampires. Buffy no longer resists her calling, but immediately begins to plan a rescue. As Willow and Xander now know that Buffy isn’t a typical high school student, Giles tells Xander and Willow about vampires and demons, and that Buffy is the Slayer. They are overwhelmed by it all, but they insist on helping Buffy. Meanwhile, Luke and the other vampires are planning to begin The Harvest, a dark ritual that will free The Master from his underground prison. Needing to slaughter innocents for the ritual, they descend upon The Bronze to feed...only the Slayer stands in their way.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Welcome To The Hellmouth” Review (1x01)

Brief Synopsis: "Buffy Summers is the Slayer, but after being expelled from her old High school for burning down the gym (it was full of vampires) she just wants to forget about her destiny and be a normal sixteen year old girl. She and her mother move from L.A. to Sunnydale, California. She now has a new school, new friends, and a chance to start over. However, Sunnydale is on top of a Hellmouth - a centre of mystical convergence that draws evil and demonic forces - and Buffy soon realizes that she will have to pick up her stakes and holy water in order to save her new friends."

Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Angel Reviews

Hello friendlings,

Just a quick update to let you all know that starting tomorrow I will be reviewing every episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel! I intend to get through one a day, but one every two days seems more realistic.

Those of you from my Buffyverse Facebook fan page  (www.facebook.com/BTVSFC), these will be the reviews from there, only they will be edited, have a lot more added to them, and they will be in a much better format than Facebook allows.

Don't forget to subscribe to this blog via email (located to the right of this page), or to share my blog entries on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or on your own blog (the links are all located at the bottom of each blog entry).

Thank you so much for your support, and buckle in...this blog is about to take off!

- Shangel

Hallowhedon 5 - The Fan Experience

A note before I get started: This review will not contain every word that was said, as I don’t remember everything. Hell, I’ve probably forgotten half of the things that people said or that I said to the guests. However, this will be a good overview of the weekend and should show you what to expect from a weekend convention like Hallowhedon.

Second note: I will not be naming fellow convention goers very often, even the 40+ of you that are from my “Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan Club” Facebook page. If I name 5 of you and not the rest, they get offended, etc., so I will only be naming the very important people that I spent the most time with.

Third note: “We” means “Myself and Robyn”. I didn’t want to keep writing “Myself and Robyn did this”, “Myself and Robyn did that”, so I just said “we” a lot of the time ;).

Final note: Photo credits to the following wonderful people, who have allowed me to use some of their photos for this recap - Bernie Angel McDonnell, Clare Davidson, Lisa Davidson, and Elspeth Renfrew!

I very spontaneously decided to go to Hallowhedon 5 at the beginning of March. I was on the forums checking to see who was announced for LFCC (London Film & Comic Con), and saw that Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, and Tom Lenk had all been announced for Hallowhedon. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I slightly prefer Angel as a show to Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It’s only slightly, but it meant that I couldn’t give up the opportunity to meet Alexis and Amy, as they are two of the main characters. You could argue that Wesley is the second main character of the whole show (behind Angel). I decided to buy a gold ticket, which included six free studio photos, six free autographs, an exclusive gold membership drinks reception with the stars, the front 5 rows at the talks, and a goodie bag upon registering at the event. The line-up for the event was Alexis Denisof (Wesley), Amy Acker (Fred), Tom Lenk (Andrew), K. Todd Freeman (Mr. Trick), Jeff Ricketts (Weatherby from Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel (from The Watcher’s Council), and he was also in an episode of Firefly), Sarah Hagan (Amanda, the Potential Slayer), Jane Espenson (Buffy The Vampire Slayer writer (as well as many other shows), and Brad Bell (star and co-creator of ‘Husbands’, alongside Jane Espenson). About six weeks before Hallowhedon, Amy Acker had to pull out due to work commitments.

(The Hilton Hotel entrance)