Angel, "Lullaby" Review (3x09)

Brief Synopsis: “Holtz and Angel come face-to-face for the first time in hundreds of years. Holtz is still intent upon revenge against Angelus and Darla for murdering his family. With Darla close to giving birth, she escapes from the Angel Investigations team and disappears into the night. Angel must escape Holtz, find Darla, and help her give birth to their child before any harm comes to it.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Smashed" Review (6x09)

Brief Synopsis: “After Tara breaks up with her, Willow manages to successfully de-rat Amy and the two witches begin bonding through using magic, drawing Willow further into her growing addiction. Meanwhile, Spike discovers that his chip doesn’t go off when he hits Buffy, leading him to believe that she may have come back wrong after being resurrected.”

Angel, "Quickening" Review (3x08)

Brief Synopsis: “Angel must do everything in his power to protect Darla and their unborn child when Wolfram & Hart launches a full-scale attack to take mother and baby, as vampire births should be impossible. To make matters worse, the gang is also threatened by a vampire cult who believes that the baby is ‘The Miracle Child’, while Holtz has arrived in present day Los Angeles, seeking vengeance against Angel and Darla.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Tabula Rasa" Review (6x08)

Brief Synopsis: “Willow is devastated to learn that she pulled Buffy out of Heaven, not Hell. She resolves to make things better by casting a spell to make Buffy forget that she was ever in Heaven. The spell, of course, backfires and causes all the Scoobies to wake up in The Magic Box with no memories. The amnesiac Scoobies must piece together their lives and find a way to reverse the spell, while also dealing with vampires and demons that Spike owes kittens to.”

A Recap & Ranking Of Conventions I Attended In 2014

So, halfway through my review of Buffy’s “Tabula Rasa”, I needed a break. Sometimes these really deep, intricate reviews can severely mentally drain you. Especially when you’re trying to juggle a full-time job, two part-time jobs, and two university modules at the same time. Therefore, to counteract all this work...I decided to create more for myself by writing this recap of my times on the convention scene in 2014, as well as giving some general advice and information about conventions and ticket types (primarily in the United Kingdom). Now, unlike my other convention-related posts, this one won’t be 20-25 A4-pages long. This is because, frankly, I’ve already written gigantic reviews of the conventions themselves, so most of the details are contained within those specific reviews. I will try to keep this post as brief as possible...but you know I get excited and fan-flailey, so bear that in mind. What this post will do is recap the year, talk about some of the highlights, talk about some of the best guests, and talk about advantages and disadvantages of different convention companies.

Angel, "Offspring" Review (3x07)

Brief Synopsis: “As the crew researches a prophecy predicting the imminent arrival of a being that may have a profound impact on the world, Darla arrives at the hotel, pregnant, angry, and looking for daddy Angel. Cordelia, hurt that Angel lied to her about sleeping with Darla, takes Darla’s side in the matter. As vampire births should be impossible, Angel looks to Lorne for answers.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Once More With Feeling" Review (6x07)

Brief Synopsis: “A mysterious demon has arrived in Sunnydale and brought with it the ability to make everyone in town burst into song and dance, revealing their innermost secrets. The strange musical influence over Sunnydale takes a more sinister turn when some people can’t stop dancing and burst into flames. Can Buffy and the Scoobies stop the demon before they spill their secrets and become human torches?”

Angel, "Billy" Review (3x06)

Brief Synopsis: “A wave of unexplained and extreme violence against women is traced back to Billy, the young man that Angel was forced to free from a demonic prison a few weeks earlier. Billy's merest touch can cause an otherwise good man to become violently misogynistic...and the results can be deadly. Can Billy be stopped before the infected Wesley hurts Fred, who are alone in the hotel together?”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "All The Way" Review (6x06)

Brief Synopsis: “Dawn sneaks out and spends Halloween night with a friend and two guys. What Dawn isn’t aware of is that the two guys are vampires and are contemplating turning her into one as well. Meanwhile, Tara expresses concern that Willow is too reliant on magic, while Xander and Anya celebrate their engagement in public.”

Angel, "Fredless" Review (3x05)

Brief Synopsis: “Fred’s parents make a surprise visit to Angel Investigations, trying to hunt down their daughter. Rather than being happy to see her parents for the first time in five years, Fred runs away from them in terror. Are Fred’s parents as loving as they seem or do they want to find their daughter for a darker purpose? Meanwhile, a strange insect-like demon is stalking Angel.”