Buffy Season 1, Episode 8

Ah, this episode was obviously provoked by the internet dating terror that took hold in the 90s. The internet was becoming available, and people were taking their social life--and their romantic life--to the net. This understandably terrified parents, as it was obviously taken advantage of by those who would like to prey on the unsuspecting.

I think however that this is rather overplayed. No really, we don't need it to be melodramatized and then crammed into our skulls. Buffy and Xander having a discussion about how talking to ANYONE on the internet is just plain creepy because you don't know who they are, and then deciding to do an intervention for Willow is a bit off the deep end. Now, internet dating isn't necessarily the smartest, but I know lots of people who have met their true love online, and they are the best couples I know.

Also in this episode we meet Ms. Calendar, the dubbed 'technopagan'. Here we have our first look as Joss Whedon's attempts to please the pagan crowd. Miss Calendar is totally hip with the whole computer scene, has a bunch of pagan sites bookmarked, and her coven is all online...of which there are apparently only four other members, if this episode is anything to go by. Well, small comfy covens are cool. When we first learn that she's pagan Giles asks her if she's a witch, and she says "I don't have that kind of power." So, Joss's first attempt to make this pagan-friendly is to differentiate pagans and witchs. Pagans=good, witches=hollywood evil. Fortunately he abandons this path and does a better job later.

Ms. Calendar and Giles strike sparks at first, but then they start developing a relationship. Its really sweet, sucks that it doesn't really go anywhere.

Anyways, the basic plot of this episode is that Demon gets transferred into computer, Demon starts online dating Willow, Xander and Buffy freak and try to interfere, Giles figures it out, and he and Ms. Calender seal the demon again just in time to save Willow from the Demon.

The Demon looks entirely hokey when we see it too--like a bigger non-plated version of C-3PO complete with horns. C'mon, if you're a demon you can look like anything you want! Why look that ridiculous? Better yet, why mess with a physical body altogether when you can wreak havoc on the internet?? Do you know how many people you could destroy that way? Much more effective use of evilness.

But really, I PROMISE, if you meet someone online they are NOT NECESSARILY A DEMON. In fact I would wager that while you might come across the scum of humanity, that evil is purely human.

In any case, this is looking much more review-like. Yay me. I likely will go back and adjust episode 3 (the witch), but it will take me a bit to get to the other and make them all review-y. Thanks for reading!