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.”

"The Dark Age" (2x08) quick link here                                                                                                                       "Ted" (2x11) quick link here


Two quick notes before we get started...

1)    I will be reviewing the episodes in bullet point form. This is because it makes the reviews simple to read, and helps break up the text.
2)    If you are watching the show for the first time along with these reviews, please be warned that there may be a few spoilers for things that haven’t happened yet.

With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?



•    This is the first ever defined two-part story. You could argue that “Welcome To The Hellmouth” and “The Harvest” are one story as it says ‘to be continued...’ at the end of “Welcome To The Hellmouth”, but this is the first time the show has given episodes a ‘part one’ and ‘part two’ title. Due to this, I shall be reviewing both of these episodes together. I shall do the same for all ‘part one’ and ‘part two’ episodes of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”.
•    These two episodes centre on two major plot points. 1) Spike hires a group of bounty hunters to kill Buffy in order to keep her distracted whilst he tries to cure Drusilla...and if she actually does get killed, that’s just a bonus for him. 2) Kendra is activated as the Slayer after Buffy’s temporary death in the season one finale, “Prophecy Girl”.
•    Xander: “Cordelia Chase, always ready to give a helping hand to the rich and the pretty.”
     Cordelia: “Which, lucky me, excludes you. Twice.”

OUCH. By the end of this two-parter they will pretty much be a couple. Treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen.

•    Spike and Dru are so tender together. I really love them as a couple. They’re such an anomaly amongst vampires. They both genuinely love each other even though they’re both soulless vampires. Am I the only one who thinks that Dru and Spike are a better couple than Spuffy? (Waits for flaming to commence). I can’t help it; I love Spike and Drusilla together.
•    Angel asks Buffy if there’s anything wrong, and Buffy says “it’s nothing”. It’s never “nothing” when a female says that, is it? You’re almost 250 years old, Angel, have you not figured that out yet?

•    Buffy explains to Angel in this episode that she hates having the responsibility of being the Slayer. Sunnydale High is having ‘career week’, but Buffy already knows that she’ll never have a career. Her career has been chosen for her. She has no choice in the matter. Since arriving in Sunnydale, Buffy has not really wanted to be the Slayer. In fact, when she first arrived in Sunnydale, she’d ‘retired’ from slaying. These two episodes are the start of Buffy’s mindset changing from ‘I resent slaying’ to ‘I have a purpose and responsibility in life’. Kendra helps Buffy see that being the Slayer isn’t just a burden, but something special. Buffy has power that everyone else in the world could only dream of. Seeing Kendra and Buffy interact in these episodes is amazing. It’s the very first exploration of a Slayer-Slayer relationship. It’s nowhere near as detailed and interesting as Buffy and Faith's relationship is next season, but these episodes are a great introduction into what it means to be the Slayer. Ultimately, that’s what these two episodes are about.
•    Buffy: “You’re the one freaky thing in my freaky world that still makes sense to me.”

I know that some people won’t like this opinion, but I think it’s obvious that Buffy never loves anyone anywhere near as much as she loved Angel. I’m not saying that Bangel is Buffy’s best relationship (it’s not), but I am saying that Buffy loved Angel more than anyone else she’s ever met, in my opinion. With that being said, I don’t think Angel is the character that loves Buffy the most, ultimately. Spike is.

•    This is the very first episode where I genuinely understood and loved Buffy and Angel as a couple. Before this I saw them as a lot of angst with very little substance. A lot of angst. When you think about it, they have a lot in common. It was a really intelligent thing for the show to do to have Angel be the one to comfort Buffy about her not being able to live a normal life, because Angel is fighting the same thing. Angel walks in two different worlds but belongs to neither of them. He’s a vampire, but he has a soul and a conscience, so he doesn’t belong in that world. He has a soul, but he’s not human and can’t go out in the daylight, so he doesn’t belong in that world either. He can truly understand and empathise with what Buffy is going through in these two episodes.

•    Willow: “I used a number two pencil.”

I love that that’s Willow’s reasoning as to why she should be on the list.

•    DuLac’s cross is so gothic and gorgeous. I must buy a replica.
•    Spike is using the book that was stolen in “Lie To Me” in order to try to restore Drusilla back to health. What an excellent use of continuity!
•    Oz: “Canapé?”

FINALLY some Willow and Oz interaction (I know they bumped into each other and said “sorry” previously). Here’s the start of a beautiful relationship.

•    The Order of Taraka is a wonderful idea. Just the concept of a group of vampires and demons that are bounty hunters is so cool. I really wish they’d been used again in later seasons. It’s established in “Ted” that the Order of Taraka still exist after “What’s My Line”. Why didn’t anybody hire them again against Buffy? The Trio perhaps.

•    That woman’s scream after Norman Pfister enters her house is phenomenal! Speaking of Norman Pfister, how damn creepy is that demon?! If the human face wasn’t creepy enough, the smushy worms are. I don’t really get the demon, though. What can he do to you when he’s in worm form? Wriggle on you to death? If he could turn into poisonous spiders it would be way more impressive. Also, the C.G.I. that is used for his worm-to-human arm is impressively realistic for 1997. I also forgive the Machida costume for this. Almost.
•    Welcome to Sunnydale, Kendra! You and your terrible accent are a source of great amusement. Bianca Lawson originally auditioned for Cordelia Chase, but the part ended up going to Charisma Carpenter. I’m happy with Charisma getting the part because I can’t imagine anyone else playing Cordelia, which is a testament to how good of an actress Charisma is.
•    Sarah does all her own ice skating in this episode, by the way. What a multi-talented young lady.
•    Buffy killing that Order of Taraka guy with an ice skate was epic. It’s got to be one of the coolest deaths in the Buffyverse! However, there should have been much, much more blood to make it realistic! It’s probably down to a ratings issue, but that death needed more blood. You sliced his throat open with a blade, there should be blood everywhere.
•    Angel: “You shouldn’t have to touch me when I’m like this.”
     Buffy: “Oh...I didn’t even notice.”

I really enjoy Buffy and Angel as a couple, but damn they’re so angsty all of the time! It’s like there is always something getting in the way or something going wrong. It’s one of the reasons why Angel season one’s “I Will Remember You” is so amazing. Buffy and Angel finally get the perfect day. They finally get to be a real couple for a day....but that’s a story for another day.

•    Xander: “So why go to all the trouble of inventing something, and then giving it a weak name like that? I mean, I’d have gone with ‘The Cross-o-matic’, or ‘The Amazing Mr. Cross’.”

Is that really the issue right now, Xander? Tarakan assassins, rituals about to be performed, vampires stealing things...and you’re worrying about the name of a cross. Also, “The Amazing Mr. Cross” is a terrible name. “The Cross-o-matic”, however, is genius. I forgive your stupidity due to this wonderful name.

•    Geez, Giles! I know you’re warning Buffy about the Tarakan assassins and everything, but bloody hell! Way to terrify the poor girl.  Buffy absolutely does have to know what she’s dealing with, but there’s a nicer way to tell her than that. The way he explains it to Buffy makes it sound like Buffy is going to die and that there’s no way she can survive this. Way to inspire the troops, Cpt. Ripper!
•    Buffy’s introduction to Oz is Buffy grabbing him round the throat and yelling “try it”. Not the greatest first impression.
•    These episodes also bring Willy into the Buffyverse. Wait, let me rephrase that...these episodes expose Willy to the Buffyverse?...nope, that’s worse...okay, I’ve got it....these episodes introduce the character of Willy to the Buffyverse. That’s better. Willy is one of my favourite recurring characters on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. I think the reason why is because I associate Willy with the high school era of Buffy, which is my favourite section of the show.
•    Bianca’s fake accent is terrible. I mean TERRIBLE! It’s so off-putting! “Datgurl”. I can’t listen to her without laughing...which makes it okay in a way. It’s damn entertaining if nothing else. It’s not Bianca’s fault. Apparently she was only told about the accent a day before they started shooting.

•    Is frog fear a common thing? Why would you be scared of frogs? They’ve got them hoppy legs, but they don’t have twitchy little noses or eat carrots, so Anya would find them acceptable I’d imagine.
•    Spike needs to redo his nail polish. It’s all chipped. A healthy nail is a happy nail, William.
•    Then we get to the crux of “What’s My Line Part One”. The linchpin that holds it all together. I remember the first time I watched this episode. I was nine years old. My reaction to the big reveal at the end was basically... “What the hell?! How is she a Slayer?! What is going on?! THERE CAN’T BE TWO OF THEM, IT’S NOT POSSIBLE! She’s lying!”...I’d completely forgotten about Buffy’s short-term death in “Prophecy Girl”.
•    Whilst I’m not the biggest fan of Kendra, I appreciate her character. Firstly, it brings some much needed colour to Sunnydale. There’s too much of the ‘Caucasian persuasion’ in Sunnydale, as Mr. Trick would say. I love Mr. Trick so much! I met K. Todd Freeman at ‘Hallowhedon’ this year. I spent a lot of time talking to him over the weekend. He’s such a friendly man!...where was I? Secondly, her death activates Faith, who is one of my very favourite characters in the Buffyverse.

•    As I’m on the subject of Kendra...a lot of people ask me why Buffy’s death in season five doesn’t activate a new Slayer. It’s because Buffy’s death in “Prophecy Girl” activated Kendra. Kendra is the real Slayer now. When Kendra dies, Faith becomes the real Slayer. Buffy is an anomaly and shouldn’t exist in the Slayer line anymore. Buffy’s death in season five just corrects the anomaly. It would have taken Faith’s death to activate a new Slayer.
•    Willy: “I have to ask if either of you girls has considered modelling? I got a friend with a camera. Strictly high-class nude work. Art photographs, but naked. You don’t have to answer right away...”

Willy is dirty!...that needs rephrasing again, doesn’t it?...Willy is a perv! Can’t blame a guy for trying though.

•    A special shout-out to Dalton. Dalton is the first (and one of very few) nerdy vampire in the Buffyverse. He reads, he has glasses...he doesn’t have a Hanson t-shirt like that vampire in season six’s “Bargaining”, but he’s still pretty nerdy. I’m sure that nerdy streak won’t come back to bite him (teehee, pun-believable) in the ass later on this season.
•    Kendra: “And I imagine she’s a cheerleader as well...”

Well, that’s just awkward after the events of season one’s “Witch”. It’s very short-lived, but I enjoy the relationship between Kendra and Giles in this episode. Kendra is a conventional Slayer. She’s been raised using the handbook. When Giles first arrived in Sunnydale, this is the type of person that he expected Buffy to be. In “What’s My Line Part One”, Giles is getting grumpy with Buffy for being too, well, human. Buffy gets upset at ‘career week’, she’s sarcastic to Giles, and Giles is getting grouchy. Kendra comes along, and she’s the perfect traditional Slayer. I think that Giles realises in this episode that Buffy is special. Buffy being different to all the other Slayers is what makes Buffy unique. It’s what keeps her alive. Giles starts to appreciate Buffy (and her quirks) more after this episode.

•    “What’s My Line Part Two” is the very first time that the show addresses what it means to be a Slayer in any real way. Of course, this gets explored in much more detail during seasons three and season five. It’s one of the major plot themes for season five. This episode gives us two entirely opposing points of view when it comes to what being the Slayer entails. Kendra is very traditional. I imagine that if the First Slayer interrupted Kendra’s dream, she would give her a hug and a basket full of muffins, rather than try to kill her (like she did with Buffy in season four’s “Restless”). Kendra was given to her Watcher by her parents at a very young age. She grew up with no friends, no boyfriends, no social life, and no hobbies. Her life has been dedicated to training and slaying, with very little else. Buffy, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. Buffy was not taught using the Slayer handbook, Buffy has a boyfriend, Buffy has friends who know that she’s the Slayer and go patrolling with her, Buffy goes to high school, Buffy has a social life. The interesting thing about this episode is that it doesn’t just tell us these things, it explores them. Buffy explains to Kendra that her friends and her emotions are assets and have helped keep her alive (which leads to a really great moment when Buffy goads Kendra into getting emotional). In this episode, Kendra and Buffy team up to take down Spike. In season four, Buffy literally combined her essence with Xander, Willow, and Giles in order to take down Adam. Buffy survives for much longer than the average Slayer because she has a support system around her. She’s not alone. I can’t help but feel sorry for Kendra. Kendra is alone outside of her Watcher. This episode is probably the first time in her life that she teams up with someone. I hate that Kendra is only in 4 episodes of the show! There was a lot more mileage in this character!

•    Now that there are two Slayers in the mix, Buffy has an opportunity to fulfil her wish. In theory, Buffy could retire from slaying and let Kendra take over. She could have a normal life. She could get to do ‘career week’ and actually be able to choose a career! She’s Jasmine from “Aladdin”! She’s in a whole new world! I really appreciate the fact that this episode addresses this possibility. The problem is that Buffy knows too much now. She explains it very well in season three’s “Helpless”. Buffy knows what’s out there; she knows that vampires and demons are real. She could never retire because she would want to be out there helping people. Buffy’s character wouldn’t allow her to forget about all the people being killed by supernatural forces so that she could live a normal life. It’s a very similar situation to what Angel goes through in “I Will Remember You”. Angel gives up his humanity because his happiness isn’t worth as much as all the lives that he can save as a vampire.

•    I guess that there’s a fine line between love and hate, eh Xander and Cordy? I was laughing hysterically throughout the entire scene where they go from arguing to kissing. The music that plays when they kiss! I nearly died!  The interesting thing about their relationship is that it doesn’t feel forced. If you go back to the very beginning of the show and watch it through until this episode, it was clear that there were feelings all along. The funny thing is that this was completely unintentional. Joss hadn’t planned for them to be a couple until just before this episode. It’s just a lucky coincidence that everything before this episode tied together so perfectly.
•    Xander just wanted to hose Cordy because she was wearing light-coloured clothing. He hosed her for far longer than he needed to. The bugs were all gone about 5 seconds before he stopped hosing her down. Ahh, teenage hormones. I remember them well.
•    Buffy: “You and bug people, Xander. What’s up with that?”

•    Oz: “I test well, which is cool. Except it leads to jobs.”
     Willow: “Well, don’t you have any ambition?”
     Oz: “Oh, yeah, yeah. E-flat diminished ninth.”
     Willow: “Huh?”
     Oz: “Well, the E-flat...it’s do-able. But it’s that diminished ninth, you know...it’s a man’s chord. You could lose a finger.”

Oz’s lines are some of the best on the show. His short, hilarious dialogue is a huge part of why I love his character so much. One of the things that makes “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” better than other shows is the dialogue. Joss Whedon is a master at quirky dialogue and playing around with words (adding “y” to everything, for example). It’s actually how “Hush” came about in season four. Joss was very well known for his dialogue, so he wanted to challenge himself and try an episode where nobody could talk.

•    OZ TOOK A BULLET FOR WILLOW! How romantic. To be fair, Oz seemed quite happy about it afterwards. He might be the only person on the show who smiles after being shot...
Oz: “I’m shot! It’s odd...and painful.”
•    Xander: “So you’re the Slayer, huh? I like that in a woman.”

He really does. He’s in love with Buffy for about four years; he loses his virginity to Faith...

•    I really like the Drusilla-Angel torture scene. I love their backstory. It’s almost like a little follow-up to their conversation in “Lie To Me”. Drusilla still seems angry about Angel killing her family, which raises an interesting point...if Drusilla is still angry about it; it shows that a certain part of your personality remains after you’re turned into a vampire. Before Spike and Drusilla, it was stated that a vampire remembers the human’s thoughts and memories, but it’s not them anymore. As the show progresses, it shows that the statement isn’t entirely true. Vampires do keep a little part of the human personality. Spike still loves poetry and has mommy issues, for example. Also, in season one’s “The Harvest”, Jesse (after being turned into a vampire) is still obsessed with Cordelia. Angel kills his parents.
•    Xander: “Disassembled. That means when he’s broken down into his little buggy parts.”

I actually quite like Xander and Cordy together. It makes for an interesting dynamic.

•    I am so glad that Joss changed the original plan for the ending to this episode! The original plan was for Spike to die. Everyone take a second to let that sink in...how different would the show be if Spike died here? The decision to keep Spike alive was one of the best decisions they ever made.
•    Kendra: “Dat’s me favourite shirt!...Dat’s me only shirt!”

That accent will be the death of me...

•    Oz: "The monkey's the only cookie animal that gets to wear clothes, you know that?...you have the sweetest smile I've ever seen. So I'm wondering, do the other cookie animals feel sorta ripped? Like, is the hippo going, 'Hey man, where are my pants? I have my hippo dignity.' And, you know, the monkey's just 'I mock you with my monkey pants.' And then there's a big coup at the zoo."

Willow: "The monkey is French?"

Oz: "All monkeys are French. You didn't know that?"

When I look back on my Willow-Oz obsession, this is the scene that started it. This scene is just a cuteness overload.

•    Watching Xander and Cordelia kiss in this episode is like watching Animal Planet, isn’t it? It’s awkward, alien, uncomfortable...but it should be that way! These characters don’t even like each other at this point. They are attracted to each other and are kissing, but they’re not friends at all. The start of their relationship should be awkward.
•    Kendra: “You talk about slaying like it’s a job. It’s not, it’s who you are.”

Kendra is wise. It takes Buffy a few more years to really start believing this, but it’s true. As time goes on Buffy starts to view slaying as something that gives her life meaning. She’s saving the world. She’s the only thing that stands between the world and total darkness a lot of the time. At the moment she’s 16 years old and all she sees is the huge burden that she has placed upon her shoulders, which is totally understandable.
•    Uh oh, Drusilla is back to full-strength crazy. This cannot end well...
•    To conclude, this two-part story works well overall. It’s in a similar position to “The Dark Age”, in that the episodes are good (not great), but suffer from some major pacing issues and some scenes that aren’t needed. With that being said, “What’s My Line” does a fantastic job at addressing the primary issues of the episodes, so in that respect the episodes work terrifically.


Quote Of The Episode

Buffy: “Y’know, if you don’t like the way I’m doing my job, why don’t you find someone else? Oh, that’s right, there can only be one. As long as I’m alive, there is no-one else. Well, there you go! I don’t have to be the Slayer. I could be dead.”

Giles: “That wasn’t terribly funny. You notice I don’t laugh.”

Buffy: “Wouldn’t be much of a change. Either way I’m bored, constricted, I never get to shop and my hair and fingernails still continue to grow. So really, when you think about it, what’s the diff?”

Giles: “Do we have to be introspective now?”


Two reasons to love this exchange. 1) Sarcastic Buffy. 2) Sassy Giles. Both are welcomed additions to any episode.  

FINAL SCORE: 7/10 (part one) & 7.5/10 (part two)


So what are your thoughts on "What's My Line Part One & Two"? Did you enjoy these episodes? Dislike them? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!