The best joke in the whole episode is when they go into the newspaper office and the camera shows all the newspaper headlines and the one says, “Apathy on the rise, no one cares”. That’s just brilliant
Xander with his mouth agape with a handful of jello, and lunch lady continuing to pour poison into the food, both making eye contact with one another before having time to think of what to do, might have been the funniest exchange I've ever seen.
David Boreanaz is by all accounts a really funny guy, he doesn't really get to show it on BtVS, but when it gets to Angel he is able to a bit more. His character on the unrelated series 'Bones' has a lot of humour too.
Yes, this episode was originally set to air on April 27, 1999. The Columbine shooting occurred on April 20th and the network decided not to air it. If I recall, no detailed explanation was given, only that it was pulled due to recent events or something like that. I assumed the episode must have dealt with school shootings in some sort of inappropriate manner and that's why it was pulled. They finally did air it months later just before the start of Season 4 and when I saw it, I was surprised how well and how insightfully the episode dealt with such a difficult subject. I love Buffy's speech to Jonathan in the clock tower. This episode is one of my favorites of the whole series.
@@murasasme It does go hard. And it also explains away some of the "amnesia" going on with Sunnydale. But when I first saw that scene it did bring tears to my eyes. Especially when they follow up with the cover of Wild Horses. So beautiful & touching.
I love the scene in the library, they use Buffy's powers to perfectly display several characters. Oz is incredibly deep and thoughtful but displays very little of it on the outside.... Xander is your typical teenage hormone pile, and then my favourite, Cordy. She quite literally has no filter lol she says EXACTLY what she thinks haha
Fun Fact: I was so obsessed with Buffy when this and the season finale did not air when it was supposed to, I called the network to complain 😅...remember this was before social media ...I was determined lol. p.s. they were so nice to me they told me it was going to air later that fall.
My favorites are Oz and his mental philosophy thoughts ("We think, therefore Buffy is"), his "that's fair" about the kid's review of his band (lol, Oz is so laid back), and how Cordelia says exactly what she's thinking at all times. Hilarious and awesome.
Two Emmys for the HBO political movies, Recount and Game Change. He also co-wrote The Butler and the last two Hunger Games films and co-created the hip hop drama Empire with Lee Daniels.
Jonathan's gun was a hunting rifle, so actually more plausible for the average family to have sitting around than a pistol or something. As for bringing it to school and up into the tower, blame Willow! "Sometimes we need to make them pay attention, don't we Jonathan?" 😬
This episode was written by Jane Espenson. This was her third episode of the series. Her episodes so far have been ........ 3x06 | "Bad Candy" 3x11 | "Gingerbread" 3x18 | "Earshot
Jonathan brought that gun because..maybe that was the gun at home that was available. I mean, obviously it was tv reasons for the tension of the time it took to assemble , but, we could rationalize it that way. Yes..another super classic episode. Cordelia’s instantly voicing her thoughts with no delay or filter is priceless..
Yeah, it's a hunting rifle, so more plausible for an ordinary family to have sitting around than a pistol or something. As for bringing it to school and up into the tower, blame Willow! "Sometimes we need to make them pay attention, don't we Jonathan?"
@@jp3813 yep..he was probably delaying, and..he’s a nerd besides, why wouldn’t he assemble the whole thing? We can rationalize it that way, while accepting the fact that it was a tv way of misdirecting us..
The only part that didn't age well is Xander being distracted by the jello while trying to prevent a shooting, as evidenced by the reactions of these viewers.
You are correct, Mickey, this is the episode that wasn't aired. Now I think everyone's on the same page about how much teenagers needed to hear this message at the time, and still to this day. The topic of debate is a lot more complex and there's a lot more we need to address when it comes to it, but at this point it seems like shootings are just as frequent as car accidents, but whatever, idk, I enjoyed your reaction as always. Wanna give Angel a shoutout, he's had a lot of awesome moments this season: "...his name is Angel" in "Bad Girls," saving Xander from Faith with the baseball bat, and now getting that demon heart for Buffy. He's really trying to earn that spinoff
@@visarr Ah okay I was going off of 24 year old memories. So Earshot was originally supposed to have aired on April 27, but the Columbine Massacre happened on April 20th and they pulled the episode. Earshot didn't air until September 21st. Graduation Day Part 1 aired on May 18th, and they held off on showing Graduation Day Part 2 in the US until July 13. It was still a painfully long time to wait for part two of a season finale.
A great Buffy episode that can easily go from comedy to drama and back again. I always like when Buffy shows off her abilities in a civilian setting like her flip to the roof.
I'll never forgot this episode airing on TV months after the season finale of season 3. I remember thinking, "ummm, wait what? This seems out of place." They even had a PSA afterward with Sarah Michelle Gellar narrating saying, "if you're having problems, you're not alone. Reach out to someone". Sad how relevant gun violence at school is still years later.
I was really worried about you guys taking on Buffy, I didn't think the group format would work for it. But I stand completely corrected, I love your reactions, and I think they're actually my favourite Buffy reactions on RU-vid. I've watched your reaction to Lovers Walk (3x8) literally 5-6 times now, it's wonderful. Thank you!
I remember not being able to wait for this episode to finally air and going on eBay to buy a bootleg version from Canada since it aired over there…got it along with the season 3 finale which was also postponed till late in the summer and there was no way I was going to wait that long to see them 😝
Oh Jesus, I'm way too high for that straw/butt edit. EDIT: Glad they recognize and connect with Jonathon this early. A character who just continues to quietly pay off.
Fun fact, "Berk" is UK cockney rhyming slang, its short for "Berkshire Hunt", Rhyming slang works by rhyming the last word with another word but you only say the first part...
Close but not quite. Berk comes from Berkeley Hunt, which is Cockney rhyming slang for c***. However it is an old slang term and the word 'berk' now also stands on it's own and means idiot, fool, etc.
@@Blazingstoke it does but people don't tend to find berk as offensive, probably because most don't know where it's from. It also depends on context, you might call your friends c***s if you're from the UK or Australia, but use it to insult someone you don't like as well 😂
The fact that Buffy had Jonathan in her hands is wild. I never noticed that. Those Slayer instincts with the telepathy she found the culprit immediately.
rewatch 15 of the entire series with The Normies is so great. watching you all see it for the first time reminds me how well written this show is. twists and turns and emotions and suspense and horror..
There have been school shootings in the US at least since the 1800's but only about one per decade with multiple deaths until the late 20th century. The observation tower shooting at University of Texas in 1966 was a major shock that caused some regulation changes but after that shootings and deaths increased every decade, from middle schools to colleges. In the late 90's there was an escalation with multiple incidents with more than a dozen injuries in 1997 and 1998. Columbine happened after this episode was recorded but before it aired.
Brilliant Jane Espenson episode! She is definitely one of my favourite writers on Buffy. Normies are bang on about the lack of urgency when trying to find Jonathan.... I've watched this episode so many times that I don't even think about things like that anymore, but it was such a fair point. In any case, this episode has it all. Brilliant comedic moments, incredible insight into an extremely sensitive topic, some sick stunts, and also has Xander wearing one of the ugliest shirts throughout the whole show.
@@bernardsoul5186 Espenson had the hots for the actor that played Jonathan. Any ep where she was the main writer, you get more of him. When she became a writer on the Gilmore Girls, he showed up there as well. It wasn't as bad as Marti Knoxon's epic lust for Spike/Marsters, which is why the poor guy had so many topless scenes, but it was still Weinsteining.
I love the way Buffy discusses _Othello_ - the whole analysis of Iago as the manifestation of Othello's dark side is a perfect analogy for Faith. Also, Willow's monologue when she's interrogating Jonathan? Put a pin in that, it's going to become *very important* later on.
One of my fav episodes of all time! 13:40 might be favourite funny moment of the episode, Cordelia’s delivery is so hilarious to me. Whenever I ask a random question to my family out of the blue and I get a look, I ALWAYS add with that sweet eyed shrug “oh, it’s for the yearbook”. The response is always an eye roll, lol 😂
I grew up loving Buffy in a town where no one watched it. Being able to watch you guys react to it is filling that void from my childhood. Thanks for FINALLY getting around to watching it!
This season is so good. This episode is basically the equivalent of Go Fish from last season, but it's funnier, more disturbing and more relevant than that episode was. From here on we're into proper arc-based stuff, and it's going to be nuts
I think it was in Heroes, where Claire Bennet's father (Noah Bennet) was thinking in a different language, so Matt Parkman wouldn't understand anything while mindreading.
This episode was originally scheduled to be broadcast on April 27th but was postponed following the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. It eventually aired on September 21, 199, two weeks before the SE4 premiere on October 5, 1999.
Mark 3:48. Okay, now you see actress, Charisma Carpenter, in character as, "Cordelia Chase". To the latter, that's her uniform, while to the former, it's just a, costume. She wears a similar costume in a commercial for, "Butterfinger". (What's the deal with wearing sweaters in a warm, sunny environment anyway? 🤔 ) My point here is, that prior to acting in the series, at some point she was a, professional cheerleader, with a much better (sexier) uniform, for the, "San Diego Chargers"! 🏈 Since I can't share those images with you, you will have to do your own searching. Others you might find, since someone made a list, are Katie Couric, Sandra Bullock, Teri Hatcher, and not all were professionals. (Do long sleeved sweaters compensate for the mini skirts or shorts? 🤔 )
I love the way Cordelia literally has no filter, she says exactly what she thinks. Oz, on the other hand, says little but has deep philosophical thoughts. This episode was originally due to be shown soon after the Columbine school shooting, so they skipped and showed it just before the next season. SMG objected as it doesn't actually have anybody going on a shooting spree, only Johnathan intending to kill himself and the lunch lady trying to poison everyone, but it was considered too close. Fortunately it adds little to the overall arc of the season. 'Berk' is a British insult, I'm not sure it has a direct American equivalent, but it is probably closest to 'idiot' although that is used in Britain, too.
Speaking of the Rat Poison box...several years ago I was in a Chinatown grocery store and I saw for sale a small box of rat poison on the shelves. The packaging had a picture of a rat...well, actually it was a very slightly altered cartoon drawing of Mickey Mouse (slightly altered due to copyright, I assume).
Been waiting so long for you guys to get to this episode! Season 3 is one of, if not, the best seasons but this episode is a standout. Hilarious but also some serious drama handled really well by everyone. Another great reaction guys!
Mark 0:00. Okay, this is the episode that I warned you about, or alerted you to, et cetera. 😐 "Earshot" is the eighteenth episode of the third season of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Jane Espenson, directed by Regis Kimble, and first broadcast, out of sequence, on September 21, 1999. The originally scheduled broadcast was postponed following the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999.
For the record that wasn't Jonathon that was being bullied by the hyaena kids in The Pack. That was a kid named Lance. Jonathon didn't appear until the second season (unless you count the unaired pilot).
It's been debated that Willow inadvertently pushed Jonathan over the edge with her budding magic, which would be ironic due to what happens in the later seasons of the show.
@@Madbandit77 I don't think it was magic, and I think he was already thinking of killing himself, but Willow definitely gave him the idea to do it that day, at school, and in the tower. "Sometimes we have to make them pay attention, don't we Jonathan?"
"Earshot" is the eighteenth episode of the third season of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Jane Espenson, directed by Regis Kimble, and was first broadcast out of sequence on September 21, 1999. The broadcast was postponed following the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999.
Earshot did air on time on the 27th on a Canadian(iirc) tv station however. Naturally someone recorded it and posted it to the internet via the primitive means available at the time. In this case, it meant an ultra low resolution RealVideo version of the episode broken up into several files. No such luck for the season finale though.
this episode originally aired AFTER the season finale.... it was supposed to air on may 4th, 1999... the columbine school shooting was 14 days before that
Mark 24:43? Chris? Was that you that mentioned burning the school down? Well, whomever it was, was it a reference to the incident in, Los Angeles, that caused them to relocate? 🤔. 😁
Mark 20:15. Her frequent feats of strength, agility and fighting prowess, in sight of her fellow students, explains why they stopped bullying or teasing her, very early on! However, just wait until you see how, Johnathan, decided to pay her back! 😐 It's too bad that, Freddie, in the "SHAZAM!" movies, still has to endure those two bullying brothers! Hey, that gives him something in common with, Peter Parker! SMG, famously wears a, Superheroine, costume for a cover of, "Rolling Stone Magazine", that I think is inspired by that worn by the, "Marvel" character, "Vampirella"! So, just imagine what it might be like, if she had to quickly change first, before stopping the, "Lunch Lady"? As, Serendipity, would have it, Buffy's fighting style looks suspiciously just like, SMG's Taekwondo, so to her peers, she looks like a typical, Martial Artist, putting her skills to practical use outside of a classroom environment, as they see it done in movies and television shows. Eventually, you get to see, Buffy, being critical of, Hong Kong Kung Fu, movies during a, movie night, with her friends! 😂 Then there's the time that she looks at, a figurine, not a doll or action figure, of "Vampirella", that belongs to, Johnathan, and she just shakes her head while making a witty remark about it! That's when the issue came out! Life-size cardboard stands of her in that costume, were a seller too, back then.
Mark 17:56? Chris, thanks for pointing out what should have been obvious, even to him! 👍. By the way, I guess they went with what they had on hand. 🤔. The, "Henry U.S. Survival Rifle", can be stored in its own stock, so that it can be carried by hikers and campers in their backpacks, and easily stored in tents, next to sleeping bags. Bush Pilots, carry them too, in case they have to parachute out over the, Bush.
Rana, u gotta think twice about having this power. Just imagine EVERY male & some females thinking about u, ur body, positions, violations etc. Every time they look a u. And just imagine visiting an all boys high school. hahaha
It sucked that it didn't air at it's intended date but when it did months later it was nice getting a bonus season 3 episode and a look at last "Classic Buffy" before the season 4 premiere and the complete change in status quo.
You are correct about this episode not airing on time.I was a huge fan of Buffy when it was originally on tv. I was a junior in high school when Columbine happened. It shook us all, and it breaks my heart that it's getting worse. All these years later.
I cracked up and also cringed when you see the lunch lady with the giant box that said RAT POISON. Glad you mad fun it that. Also funny was the terrible stunt person they used for her, that guy was like a 100 pounds less than the lady...worst stunt double ever! At first I was like, they didn't see that!!! But then I listened after the episode and you nailed it
Pretty sure the mind reading thing Suraj is talking about at the end is Young Justice. Miss Martian tries to read Bane's mind, and he's thinking in Spanish
This episode made me want to leave inside Oz head rent free. The guy has the most philosophical thought right now and all that came out of it was "hmm!"
Only part I hated was at the end where Buffy mocks Jonathon when talking to Giles. I think it was supposed to be comedic, but the dude almost killed himself like 2 minutes earlier...just felt distasteful.
Point of fact this episode was due to air the week of the Columbine Highschool Shootings, because of that it was pulled from the air and didn't actually broadcast until just before the premiere of season four.
I feel ya Suraj a little light ear stuff is nice now and again lol. Also Suraj with his curls and hat looks vaguely like my dl high school bf haha. It is definitely the fit, hair, and hat combo. Wow that brought me back.
