I got the sense that Oz told Tara to run as a warning to get away from him before he changed. He was aware how hurtful he could be in werewolf form, and he was goving her a chance to get away.
exactly, i don't see oz as the kind of guy who would want to hurt tara for being with willow, i have always seen it as animal instinct taking over from smelling his potential mate on someone else
the show used "casting spells" as a stand in for having sex. This was heavily implied when Willow told Tara, "I hope you don't think I only come by to cast spells." i.e. "I only come over to have sex." Add in how erotic the spell casting was when the 2 were together.
For some context, Willow and Tara were groundbreaking at the time this aired. They were one of the first lesbian relationships depicted between series regulars on mainstream television. For many of us growing up this was the first we saw of a genuine same sex relationship depicted in media at all. Unfortunately with the time period, that did mean the show had to do things like blow out the candle in this episode, *implying* rather than showing quite often.
@@buffyandcalleigh Not really sure that was a spoiler, since we know the characters have already done this off screen at this point, it's not anything new in terms of plot, storyline, character development, or anything aside from what the network might at some point be willing to put on screen or not. But sure, I deleted it if you guys are concerned.
When Oz said he could smell her , it was meant to imply they had been intimate, tv standards were still very strict during this Era we only had Wilson Cruz on my so called life , Ellen who got cancelled and Will and Grace had just come in to the scene in 1998 and kept the characters in mostly non sexual relationships due to censors . seeing same sex kissing was a a major no no on tv so a lot was implied. Dawson creek which started season 2 of Buffy had one gay character added during its season 2 and never really showed him in relationships. So willow being in a gay relationship, not her being gay without a trace of her love life, but in a actual relationship was major! The US version of Queer as folk would come out the same year willow came out 2000. You won’t see much in pushing the envelope on Buffy until later seasons when it moved networks. By the time the show is getting ready to end you have what was called the gay tv explosion with queer as folk, will and Grace, queer eye, the L word and Noah’s Arc, all on tv.
Honestly unless you had existing queer people within your friend group, no one was super likely to pick up on such a thing back then. It just wasn't a thought that even crossed most peoples mind. Buffy's reaction was definitely not standard sadly, her being wigged out but then moving directly into to supportive acceptance was basically the best many of us dared hope for when we thought about coming out to people. Joss had to fight pretty much constantly to get Willow and Tara to happen, there were no other WLW couples on tv at the time like this. The writers intentionally slow walked their relationship so the network wouldn't realize the show was setting them up to be a romantic pairing, as their network would have shut it down had they realized, and then when this point came Joss used the clout the shows popularity gave him to basically force the network into allowing it. Even still the network forbid most physical displays of affection between them, hence why this episode doesn't get to end in a kiss on screen. Tara's actress, Amber Benson, has commented on how she spoke with queer friends at the time to learn how she could convincingly convey their relationship in her performance even though they weren't allowed to show much physical affection on screen. She really understood what this would mean to people at the time. Things have come a long, long way since those days.
Thank you for this comment. I identify as a straight female and honestly, I had no idea what was going on between Willow and Tara until this episode. And to be completely honest, I was a little thrown because up until that point I identified most closely with the Willow character, to the point that I also had a crush on Xander in the early seasons (I’m not proud, k?) I understand now that this was huge for the LGBTQ+ community but at the time I didn’t “get” Willow’s interest in Tara. Things are different now, thank goodness, and I really love Tara. But yeah, at the time it was not obvious at all to me that Willow and Tara had had a thing going on for several episodes already.
I didn't really have any gay friends in my close friend group at the time (at least as far as I'm aware), but from early on since Tara appeared on the show, it was obvious to me and other straight male friends I watched the show when it first aired with that a romance was developing between Tara and Willow. We talked about their relationship and wondered if the network would ever let them be more open.
The first time I watched "Four Weddings and a Funeral" I didn't realise that Simon Callow's character and his boyfriend were in a relationship until we got to the funeral and "Stop all the clocks". I honestly thought they were just flatmates until then. It's obvious on a rewatch. I do think that one was filmed that way so people who weren't primed wouldn't notice. In the 90s there must have been a lot of liberal filmmakers who were doing a "we want to represent gay relationships, but we don't want the bigots to complain about how we made it into a 'gay film'" thing.
@@dereknolin5986 It was unlikely but not impossible, no blanket statement is ever without exception and it's great you all were in tuned enough and open minded enough to see it. I wish more people fell into that group. But on the whole it was more common for a straight person with no contact or familiarity with queer people or queer culture to not pick up on queer subtext. For that reason this development got a lot of backlash from segments of the fandom at the time that thought this came from nowhere. Even today this kind of thing still happens and is why it's 100% predictable that any time you have a queer relationship develop on screen you'll have some people complaining that a story "turned" characters gay that were only "good friends". Queer subtext had practically become its own film language in the community given little to no overt representation was allowed for so long, we had to find other ways to get our stories out there in an environment that was often intent on blocking them and that often took the form of playing in the fields of queer coding, subtext and implication.
Buffy's reaction to Willow telling her about Tara was kind of like Riley's reaction to findout about Oz being a werewolf. It just took Riley longer to be okay with it.
During the original run not only would the audience see the previously-ons, we had a whole week of promos, which were essentially in today's lingo "spoilers". If there was going to be a special guest coming up, you would be informed of that fact in every commercial break throughout the week.
@@alexanderhetzel8271 Ok. I'm just saying that's how tv pop culture used to be. We consume media differently now. Back then they wanted to show you enough to entice you to tune in because if you missed it, you'd have to wait until the rerun unless you happened to know someone who taped it.
By this stage, Tara and Willow had been dating (in secret) and are implied to be having a sexual relationship. Its just that being 25 years ago, the show was under a lot of pressure to basically not show any of this, so it has been done so far through metaphor. Them "casting spells" together, moaning and writhing around on the floor in that Buffy/Faith bodyswap episode, is intended to represent sex I believe.
I think the deal with the wolf is that Oz has lots of pent-up wolfiness inside him due to not changing on a normal schedule, and that's why it can come out any time if his control slips. I also think that's related to the apparent character change you noted in Oz. I think aspects of the wolf were already asserting themselves mentally, throwing off his normally calm and reasonable style. The way he got physical with Tara was very un-Oz-like, but it makes total sense in that context IMO. Also, in Oz's defense, he went through a hell of an emotional rollercoaster this episode. He thought Willow was available and that they were on track to get back together, and then this comes out of nowhere? I can understand him being surprised, disappointed, hurt, and annoyed at Willow for hiding something this important from him (even though the situation was super complicated on Willow's side). Tillow has my whole heart.
Cass.... remember: SPIKE IS NOT A GOOD! He is a Bad Guy, a Cool Bad Guy, but a Bad Guy. It is not weird that he accepted to collaborate with Adam to have what himself wants. Buffy reaction to Willows'outing is perfectly in line with her character. She was upset at first just because that was unexpected, Buffy believed Willow would tell her about her doubts about Oz, but in the end her love for Willow and her empaty preveailed over everithing else. And, another important thing, Buffy by accepting Willow, she accepted Riley's doubts about the supernatural :) Tara is an amazing character, very sweet and lovable, and a LGBT couple in the 90s it was not a given
I'll never understand why people would want to spoil such great moments in these episodes with the previously on, but some people just don't care about spoilers and that's cool too! It's just wild that you wanted to find out about Oz one second into the episode and not when he showed up in the perfectly planned and editted surprise entrance. Just FYI, there were no "previously on" entrances during the original airing nor the original DVD releases, they were added during syndication. So you're also not getting the original experience we did there either.
I know you asked why Oz was freaking out about Tara wearing Willows sweater. I think the implication has always been that they slept together. The writers have gone on record to say because of the 90’s they couldn’t explicitly show a lesbian couple on tv. That the spells were metaphor for them hooking up and dating. It’s why they all seemed so sexual so far. From what the writers have said, I think they’ve been physical for quite some time. Remember she didn’t want to tell Buffy about her “new friend”. Willow wasn’t ready for them to meet. Just food for thought.
The Initiative probably couldn't change Oz's werewolf behavior. Their chips induced pain as a negative stimuli to punish demons for being violent. Since they noted that Oz now becomes a werewolf via negative stimuli, a chip like Spike's would make Oz lose his cool and become the wolf rather than stop it.
What you're missing is Willow and Tara have been in a romantic, physical relationship for a while at this point. We just haven't seen it it on camera because Willow has been keeping it secret from the gang.
I never interpreted it like that. The way I saw it, they always felt it. But they substituted being physical with doing magic. Their magical scenes were full of s*xual tension. Their relationship was an incredibly slow burn. It was this episode, this end scene where they finally gave into their feelings.
@@plumdutchess Remember in The I In Team when Willow goes to Tara after Buffy has to ditch their get-together because her beeper went off, so Willow goes over to Tara's place, and the overtly implied assumption is that they're doing a spell? Buffy and Willow both note the next morning that the other has been out all night. We haven't seen a spell yet that involves spending all night with someone. If they hadn't been intimate before that night, there's little doubt that it happened then.
@@godmagnus Never had it mentioned in a scene after other hints of romantic interest between us. The fact that it was brought up was a choice by the writers and was intended to hint at similar reasons for the two of them both being out that night.
Essentially Oz saying he could smell Willow on her was meant to be the hideen 'get past the censors' confirmation that Willow and Tara had been physically involved for a while already, she just hadn't put it out there to anyone yet until now.
You’re not experiencing it the way it’s supposed to be tho because you’re watching the botched remastered widescreen version :( it has different/ worse special effects, lacks all the original filters, has ai upscaled closeups replacing wide shots etc you’ve gotta switch to the DVDs to see the best original version
@@Nicamonit’s definitely the remastered widescreen version. The American DVDs are the original 4:3 aspect ratio and don’t include the previously on segments.
The DVDs also have extra features for each season with interviews from the cast. It would be cool to see a reaction to those. The fold out boxed set versions are common on reseller sites and have a lot of cool artwork on them too. I’d avoid the slimmer cased versions because it’s hard to tell them from thebootlegs out there that compress the 8gb discs onto 4gb discs and lose quality
“Did he [Oz] have to sacrifice something bad for it?” Wow good question. I never thought of that. He kind of makes it sound like it was just hardcore meditation, but you never know
We assume he's a stoic dude, but I bet that Willow was the only thing that kept him sane during his training in Tibet which might have been almost like torture, she was the main reason he went there. So imagine doing all this for someone you love and coming back to see that she moved on, it would hurt and could trigger a transformation.
The only mistake Oz made was not telling Buffy in Wild At Heart what had happened. He never had control over the wolf inside. He tried his best but it was all beyond his control that's why he had to leave because he loved Willow so much but knew it was her that would always bring the wolf out in him. Xander gave him the impression in this episode that she was still single. It's a tragic love triangle with three people, who we really like so much. It's great that Riley shows how much he cares for Buffy by helping to free Oz. Oz makes the ultimate sacrifice again knowing they can never be together as Willow is the trigger for his transformation. It was great to see Tara and Willow back together again. One the better episodes of S4.
even if we accept that was oz's only mistake, it's still the exact same mistake he made when he first found out he was a werewolf. to have learned nothing in two years, when it's such a matter of life and death, is a serious problem. i'm happy oz left before buffy's responsibility ever forced her to do something about him.
I never thought that Willow and Tara were kidding themselves before this episode; I thought they were already in a relationship, even a physical one. I just thought that the cultural norms of the time didn't let them fully depict their relationship on-screen. It really did break new ground for a depiction of a same sex relationship.
Seth Green came back for the closure Willow and Oz needed to move Willow and Tara forward. Sadly, same sex couples on TV so rare and, in real life considered so taboo that what there were a lot of fans who didn't get it and didn't understand what was happenning and didn't realize why the gay girl wouldn't revert back to liking guys, because that's how it worked at the time on TV. Willow and Tara were a groundbreaking step forward.
It makes more sense to me these days to think that Willow is bisexual - because for sure she wasn't only with Oz because she was trying to conform - but it's understandable that in the context of the times Joss went so strongly for "no, Willow is really a lesbian now, it's not just a "phase" or her being experimental while she is at college" since there was so little lesbian representation at the time.
@@paulhammond6978 Girls being with (a) guy(s) before realizing they like girls doesn't necessarally make them bi. It makes them come to a realization. I know many gays and lesbians who didn't realize, and did what Willow did (or something similar) when they figured it out, but don't identify themselves as bi. I never understood why Willow once having been with Oz before she made her own realization makes people think her bi.
@@Buffy8Fan Because Willow didn't date oz because that's the "normal thing to do for a girl" or because she didn't realize she doesn't like guys. She clearly loved him, and she clearly had a thing for Xander most of her life.
21:24 Buffy: "Riley, you found out that Willow was in an unconventional relationship and it gave you a Wiggins. I have to tell you some stuff." "Um, I was involved in a kind of unconventional relationship. My vampire lover tried to kill me and destroy the world." "My bff Faith was in an unconventional relationship with the Mayor who turned out to be a snake demon" "Now I pay money to Spike, another vampire obsessed with me, to help me slay. Also an unconventional relationship" "Xander? Dating a 1120 year old vengeance demon. Unconventional relationship" ". . . Wait . . . where are you going?"
Um, no, not the HS principal - Faith was in an unconventional relationship with THE MAYOR - the head of government for all of Sunnydale. He was just doing the commencement address at the HS.
@@plumdutchess father/daughter but also villain/enforcer. The latter is pretty unconventional for a father/daughter relationship. How many fathers send their daughters out to murder people?
You've mentioned several times -- both here and on previous videos -- that "Seth Green was really famous and therefore..." However, you're off the mark there. Seth Green had been a somewhat successful child actor, but this T.V. show is when he first broke out and really made an impression as a young adult actor. (Also as Dr. Evil's son in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, which was released only 5 months before Oz's first appearance in BtVS.)
Also in the summer of 1999 before season 4 started, along with other teen horror/comedies he started to get into in 1999,2000, & 2001. So Cass is not totally wrong as Seth was getting super busy by 1999 so he couldn’t stay on as a lead character. But I also see what you’re saying.
@@notyouraveragebear9326 The point is that he was a regular character on the series starting in October 1997, and it was this show that really boosted his career. I don't know what films or shows you're talking about for 1999-2001 -- they weren't immediately obvious to me on his IMDB resume -- but his exposure on Buffy was almost certainly a key factor in getting him those auditions, and maybe even in him being cast.
The funny thing is: back when this episode first aired, gay relationships were SO uncommon on TV, and audiences were SO accustomed to not thinking about them, that a not-tiny portion of the viewers were legitimately BLINDSIDED by this episode's "reveal" that Willow and Tara were having romantic feelings for each other! ALL the very obvious clues and queer-coded stuff just flew completely over their heads up until this episode, and some people actually accused the show of springing this on audiences "out of nowhere." My how times have changed (for the better!). :)
I don't think Buffy was "freaked" exactly at the reveal of Willow's feelings for Tara. She was surprised and needed a few minutes to process. Perfectly normal reaction. It's that colonel who most annoyed me in this episode, but I'll save my comments on that for later.
yeah we had a huge amount of the episodes "spoiled" for us every week with the trailer for the next episode when i was watching this at 11 years old, and it was still good. I think you're right, knowing what happens doesn't ruin it. people need to stop freaking out about the tiniest spoiler.
Super cute, to me, that you didn't seem to realize that Willow and Tara were already... "sleeping together" ....by this episode. lol Because the network wouldn't allow them to show any physically romantic moments between the two at this point, we got magic that looks a whole lot like having a big "O" instead. :D
Riley is military. He can't just up and quit. At the end of this ep, he has quite literally deserted. He's facing a very long time in Military Prisons. I've written at least three fics inspired by this episode; one of them focussing on that 'blue-haired meeting'. I find it strange, if understandable, to see all the focus on spoilers; back then you could not avoid them unless you stayed away from ANY Buffy media, especially fansites, between episodes, so reactors today really are not getting the same experience. On the other hand it;s kinda wonderful to hear all the specualtion and theories almost 'as live' as 'twere :-) Sadly, even after this came out ~ wording deliberate ~ there were still people who refused to accept Willow & Tara as a couple, and some the hate that Amber Benson received was truly disgusting. In real life, she is very different from Tara; even swears to make Forrest blush ;-) kerk
Head canon theory: Oz was always kinda emotionally shut down. Him working on his wolf might have meant opening the door to suppressed emotions in order to control them. In other words, he's like a baby at hanging his emotions, so now that they're more unlocked, his anger comes out in sort of immature ways.
Would it have been better if he didn't suppressed those emotions? I think it's a bit of a trap of expectations when it comes to men. If a man doesn't express his emotions, he's awful. If he does, he's weak.
Even back then.. and hell I was a teenage boy at the time (though more of a Xander than an.. well yeah :P) anyhow, the ~very~ first time I saw them in that scene together when they met with the pretend "witches" who wanted to throw a bake sale or wahtever. I remember thinking and saying to someone right then "They're setting them up for a romance!" - And I was SO excited when it came true. Groundbreaking for so many people.
Just found your channel and subscribed immediately. I'm starting at ep 1 but came to this one to comment, hoping you'd see it. BTVS is my favorite show of all time. Can't wait to hear and see your reactions to each episode
I absolutely love the opening scenes where Tara reacts to Oz's presence because it does a fantastic job setting up the emerging conflict between Oz and Willow. Overall the writing was top notch and they did a good job in giving Seth Green character a dignified ending unlike some other shows that just kill off a character.
Episode 4x18: 40 minutes of Buffy and Riley doing it as explicitly as you can on evening television. Episode 4x19: Don't even get a kiss between Wil and Tara, just "I'm going to make it up to you".
@@mandipandi303 Compared to blowing out a candle it was very explicit. Buffy and Reilly was engaging in marathon love making. So far we got a little hand holding and Willow touched Tara’s leg last episode. We do get metaphorical intimacy with some of the spells but that’s it. Not even a quick peck like Willow and Oz’s first kiss.
@@zemoxian Oh no. That's not what I meant. I meant what Buffy and Riley did in that episode wasn't explicit in the context of the show and what other happens sexually between people later. Like "Where the Wild Things Are"'s sex scenes weren't a lot compared to sex scenes in future seasons. Yeah, Tara and Willow get very little physical intimacy in the show, and I'm still frustrated by it to this day.
*Not Fun Fact* This episode was censored in Italy back in the day. I've read the coming out scene between Willow&Buffy online before I could actually _see it._ 04:35 - 04:49 (SCREAMING INTERNALLY!!!!!) 12:34 - 13:20 🤍🤍🤍🤍😭😭😭😭This ep is so beautifully hard because I love _both_ Oz&Tara so much!!!! 16:41 - 16:47 She really is!!😭🤍 18:30 He's so tiny!!T^T 🧡 20:25 - 20:31 💚 20:52 - 20:58 😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔💔 22:05 - 22:09 Powerful headcanon material right there.❤🧡 22:51 - 23:04 ❤🤍 30:45 - 31:14 I wouldn't have connected the dots either way because New Moon is like the exact _opposite_ of Full Moon so _why_ should I have thought of werewolves and therefore Oz??
You kept saying things like Oh Willow and Tara are finally going to... finally gonna be a couple, or whatever... it was my understanding that they already had. They were already together. Already a Thing. They were, right? What do you all think?
yes they were. Faith mentioned it a couple episodes earlier. I think that she was expecting to see kissing and such not realizing that not only was it the 90s (were it wasn't that bad as some are saying) but its that it was a show on the WB - which had a reputation as a "family" channel - that's why once the show switches networks we finally start seeing more physical between willow and tara
I feel like if Tara and Willow were already really together together, it's even more upsetting that Tara instantly assumes that Willow is going to want to move on with her ex when Oz shows up. If they were still at a tentative "is this really going to be a thing?" stage her insecurity about Willow is more understandable than if they are meant to be in an established, exclusive relationship.
No need to apologize for assigning Xander as the Scarecrow. That's the best character in the quartet -- and the smartest! (Remember that each of the three companions constantly demonstrate the trait they thing they lack while adventuring with Dorothy.)
It’s important to remember that this show was airing in the 90s at a time when gay people were not as accepted as we are now. willow and tara’s storyline was the first of its kind on tv and so a lot of their relationship unfortunately progressed offscreen due to network censorship. joss tried to get around it by using magic as a sort of metaphor for their love like in the body swap episode where they did a spell and it seemed really sexual. I think at this point they had already kissed and most likely even slept together which would explain why oz freaked out when he smelled willow on tara and why tara was wearing willow’s sweater after they talked in her room (there was also that scene where buffy got back from being with riley and noticed that willow spent the night in tara’s room) there are definitely hints here and there that allude to them having already taken the next step in their relationship in some form but because of homophobia we never got to see it which is also why we didn’t get to see them kiss at the end of this episode although it’s implied.
I think Oz integrated the wolf part of himself to gain control of it, but when he got emotional and stressed he lost control of it. The same way he started losing control of himself to the wolf when the moon was full before; even before the full shift. And yeah, Willow and Tara have pretty definitely been together for awhile now. The network just wouldn’t let them show that, at all. Going back over he conversations, a lot of it is just thinly disguised relationship stuff, with spells standing in for sex. “I’m not just coming over for the spells.”
I think if you enjoy the previously ons, then there's no reason not to look at every episode title. Not that there's any issue with avoiding it either, just saying you probably shouldn't worry about any of it too much. No ep title is gonna give you more info than a previously on lol. And, like, I know there's some reactors who really avoid all the ep titles till after they've watched it because they're worried about spoilers--which is totally cool for them!--but I've really enjoyed seeing you "look ahead" a little and speculate on what might be coming. It's one of those things that feels really charming and unique about how you watch and process a series, and I don't think anything will be lost if you manage to "guess" what's coming correctly once in a while. Just my opinion--most important is to do what feels right to you!
Personal choice kinda thing - I mean, the title is a spoiler because things about "phases" or "moon" = werewolf = Oz, but if you're going to see the call backs to the recent Oz moments, and also the call backs to the developments between Tara and Willow on the "previously" yeah, you'll have picked up more clues that way than just knowing the episode title and realising, oh Oz comes back.
@@paulhammond6978 There is, or was, one Buffy reactor who would deliberately read the title of the next episode after watching each one, and try and guess what it would be about. It was always entertaining when she got it badly wrong. :)
I also thought Ox's reaction was a little out of character when I originally watched this waaaay back. However what you need to keep in mind is that, probably for the first time, Oz had true emotion with Willow, and it all broke down. He left, obviously went through something big to control Wolfie, and then came back in the hopes that it could be fixed; to smell/hear Tara/Willow would perhaps jeopardise his planned rekindling and as such his resolution emotionally, so his anger, and subsequent wolfing out linked presumably to his control process, kinda makes sense.
People who watched the show live on TV would see the 'Previously on...' , but wouldn't necessarily know the episode title. (If I remember correctly, the title is shown on-screen in exactly two episodes of the show. I won't say which, but it would make a good 'Buffy' trivia question..) Some TV guides might have included the title as well, but I don't remember that happening where I live.
I think that he can control when he turns, the full moon lasts about 3 days. Strong emotions can be a trigger as we saw. I think that it hurt Oz to leave just as bad as it hurt Willow and he was probably thinking of her he entire time he was away while he was learning to control it. So it would be believable that he'd be aggravated if she moved on, it would have been safer to tell him immediately. He probably felt betrayed too.
to me it seems like suppressing the werewolf on full moons means that it's always there fighting to get through so the slightest bit of emotion lets it out easier. so i think it wasn't really oz reacting like that but the wolf making him act on his emotions way more than he normally would. we have proof of that when they caught willow and xander kissing. he was remarkably calm in dealing with that when the wolf was let out regularly with the pressure valve of the full moons. oh, and we're not going straight to love. they've been romantically involved for a while but the network required them to imply it rather than show.
For Oz? I think Buffy would have killed in his defense if forced by exigent circumstances. She has killed at least two humans in self defense by this point.
I like Cass' interpretation of Oz and Willow's relationship compared to Willow and Tara. I think that actually helps explain why Oz's reaction to learning about Willow and Tara was so out of character for him. When we all first met Oz, he was very chill about everything. Maybe that was partly because he hadn't had a serious relationship to be highly emotional about at that point. But after becoming a werewolf, developing a very deep relationship with Willow, and having that broken because of how he was / wasn't handling his werewolf self, he got very invested in fixing himself and getting back with Willow. He'd never been that fully invested in anything before -- that was part of Oz's character, being a bit aloof and easygoing. So when something completely unexpected came up -- Tara -- he freaked out. And that revealed that his control over the werewolf was only partial. Worse, his control work may have made it worse -- made the werewolf in him a little less predictable, and a little more tied to his immediate emotions. There's a little head canon in there. But that's my theory of it all.
Yeah, I don't what the deal was, maybe this costume is easier to use and more comfortable for the wearer but I swear I prefer the Phases version of the suit than this thing.
I totally get why you watched the previously on, but when you were saying how you'd watch those but not check the title, I had to explain to my spouse why I yelled "But the previouslies are even MORE spoilery!"
Yeah it’s less about “spoilers” but a refresher/reminder on camera going into the episode and getting excited, as part of the video that already plays when she clicks “play” on the episode. The whole title thing she follows a guide to know the order to watch stuff in, so she’s not actively going out of her way to avoid or find titles, it’s more so whatever is or isn’t blurred for her there that she sees. Also, knowing what the episode it’s about it’s easy to find titles spoilery when out of context most aren’t, like this one and the whole oz thing. Her guide blocked out “Five by Five” and she didn’t see until after and she said that yeah, that one is def a spoiler she is glad she didn’t have coming into the episode, but yeah once she’s sitting down and filming, that previously on is that nice little refresher (as a first time viewer of the show that Cass is), and something to get excited about if we get a callback or a scene from the past! I hope this can help provide some context to her thought process hahah, but yeah always a flip side, there’s always the title sequence name credits, there is always this or that either way, so she just wants to naturally watch is her style, and since we all love her videos here we all are, along for the ride and whatever she likes and wants to do 😎❤️
@@coreyissus Yes, I get and respect that. I was just amused that she avoided the title because she'd heard it was spoilery, and then watched something that was a bigger spoiler than the title. It wasn't actual criticism of her approach, which I believe I expressed an understanding of, and I'm surprised that it came across to you as such. Thanks for the extensive and detailed explanation of her thought process and the context, but I promise you that I already have a sense of that from watching her previous reactions, and wasn't attempting to give advice or imply any desire for a change in her approach. I apologize if it came across that way to you.
@@ErisRising oh for sure hahah, you seemed like you understood, wasn’t anything bad or any need to apologize, i agree with you about the being amused at the subtle things that happen as a result of her process. watching cass’ reactions and the thought process is always a fun journey for us all hahahahaha, so cool to see how her brain works!
There was actually a novel that followed Oz on his walkabout that led to him being able to control his transformation. I don't remember much about it because I read it more than 20 years ago, but it gives some explanation about what he did.
Yeah, if you're gonna watch "Previously on"s then hiding the title serves no purpose. The super studious don't even watch the guest cast lists (or have that blurred out) so they don't know that people will be in it until they actually show up in the episode. As you point out, that's not the case in reality (heck, the person coming back may have been in the promo commercials leading up to the episode, besides the PO and the titles). I'm sure 100 comments have already pointed out that it was still a full moon when Oz turned during the day, they have like 3 nights of it? Now I'm curious if there's Billow fanfics out there. The chip is a literal chip that can magically detect human status and administer pain appropriately. It's best not to worry about the details of it, as it was manufactured by McGuffin Enterprises. It feels like the Willow/Tara relationship was actually further along than you imagined it at this point.
If you harken back to Seaon 3, "Dopplegang Land" where Vamp Willow comes and gets close with our Willow and she is like "I think I am kind of gay". The seeds were planted. In fact, I have my own personal theory that's probably baseless but we actually had another seed planted earlier than that but this is too much of a reach I think ahah. In the Season 2 episode "Phases", when we first found out that Oz is actually a werewolf, the werewolf hunter mentions that it follows intense sexual energy. So, they conclude that werewolf would go to the Bronze. But just before werewolf enters the scene, Willow and Cordelia are whining about boys and Willow says "yeah, guys, a couple of guys!" I feel like at that moment, she might be showing signs of bi/queerness and might even have some sexual tension with Cordelia because the werewolf drops right in between them!...But I am sure I am reading way too much into it lol.
**Spoiler here, please don't read if you don't want to know the end of the show ** Watching this episode makes me really sad that they not only didn't bring Oz back for the final battle, but also that I had forgot about him by that point 😔 he was such big part of willow's development as a character, I wish we had seen him again there just at the end. Rather than that weird romance willow had in the last few episodes.
If things like the episode title and the "previously on" are spoilers, they're spoilers that the production team wanted to share with the viewing public. Of course, "the viewing public" is large, and what is best / most fun for one viewer might not be what's best / most fun for another. I do think that "spoiler culture" at large has the dial turned a little bit far towards caution, and that the definition of "spoiler" is so broad that we really should have more than one word to encompass all the different things people mean by it.
Previously ons give away returning guests and storylines. Werewolves turn on three days, the full moon and the day before and after. I need to read your notes before I try to correct things you already figured out.
Yeah you probably picked it up in editing. The creature in the beginning looked similar to a werewolf but was a different creature from what Oz became. ps: I vaguely remember something about the crew referring to Oz's new werewolf fursona as the "swamp ape". All fours was a big mistake IMO. We can detect wolflike qualities as deviation from a human default, eg "he had a wolflike demeanour".. but the moment a human goes on all fours we think "monkey".
Yeah ppl just generally hate all episodes related to riley. "Omg buffy and riley had sex the entire episde. How dare they?" Some even say its cause of the own experience they made in their childhood, which i get ofc. But the rest is just riley hater. The episode was a nice ghost story with its twist. Very chaotic and inscrutable, until everything unfolds. It gave a certain different vibe which i like and appreciate. It also shows that what their relationship lacks: communication! That was the whole point for them. But the center of this episode was the relationships between each other. Willow & Tara, Xander & Anya. Sex is a major part at one point in our life. Especially at college. We tend more towards physical relarionship than a serious relationship. We all learn this aspect asp. Sure not everyone, but its still common and natural. We also had interesting and funny moments. Anya and spike, the fight between xander and anya, as well as giles singing. I mean: common!!!! There are less enjoyable episodes than wtwta. About this episode now: I think it serves its purpose for Oz having a full circle moment. Especially for him and Willow. She can finally realise that her heart belongs to tara now and she accept it. She can openly speak about it to buffy. An important moment for buffys character. Buffy doesnt judge her sexuality. This makes her an open and tolerant friend.
A little sad you chose to spoil yourself with the Oz return in the Previously On 😭 - because that moment coming as a shock is so different when you are expecting him to show up any second versus the out of nowhere cut to him just suddenly *THERE.* There weren't "Previously On" clips in the original airing or on the DVDs. I'm happy for you if you enjoy them but to me they are not worth the spoilers. 🙃
Okay I had to think about it; and: Tin- Heartless (spirit) Staw -Brainless (intellect) Lion -Cowardly (strength) Xander is often referred to as having courage. This is usually referred to as "heart" in the Buffyverse, but will stick to courage. In one episode, he's also seen as strength. Willow is often associated with spirit, I think this fits well with heart because, especially when we think of having passion or expression, it comes from the heart. Then finally, Giles, a no-brainer 🤣 is the brains. Now; for most of the film the tin man has no heart, the straw man has no brain, and the lion has no courage, BUT these attributes we always apart of them they are on the search for Oz so they can take back the missing piece that completes them. In other words, I think these attributes are actually what they are meant to represent and body much like our characters do. I think this is part of the message of the movie as well - we may go through periods where we feel detached from these parts of us, but that doesn't mean they're not with us, we just have to do the work to bring it to the surface again. So that being said; Will is the heartless/heartfelt tin man Giles is the brainless/brainy strawman Xander is cowardly/courage lion. Which I guess aside, from Spike and Giles is also what Cass said. 💁♀️
Nope she said Xander was the Scarecrow (which I like) and Spike was the lion. I get where you are going with it obviously. Here’s one: if the Scooby Gang were the Justice League, who would be who? To me: Buffy = Wonder Woman (not just for strength but combat skill, beauty, and wisdom via her slayer dream visions) Riley=Superman (the Boy Scout grown into a warrior, always trying to do the right thing, but with defined weaknesses) Xander=Batman (ok, stop laughing. Alexander is the one without super powers, but still with a skill set (here from his ‘army days’), and dating a former villain). Willow=John Constantine (a master of magic, with possible hints of darkness, and also bisexual) Tara=Zatanna (possessing strong magic, but also filled with kindness, and an urge to help others) Anya=Catwoman (I considered Harley Quinn, but I think Selena works better. Fearless, with a strict code, loves money and the better things in life, skilled, and now a former villain.) I’ll leave the rest to anyone that cares to go for it.
I know that you are aware of this, but I still have to say it. Just in case you don't. Every viewer on your site, could say that this episode SUCKS. That does NOT always mean that it does suck. What ANY reactor has as a number of viewers, that number is nowhere near the number of viewers that watched the show. In real life and real time. So, you can take the advice as "from a subscriber advice", but never take it as "100% truth from all viewers advice".Do with this comment as you will. Great Postn by the way.
Ahhhh, I *despise* Previously Ons! Way to remove the surprise, guys! :P Not saying Cass should, of course, just my thing. I don't think Riley 'sees what he wants to see' regarding Buffy; he sees what she's shown him, plus he still has the indoctrination that all supernatural beings are monsters therefore dangerous. Also, Oz is so haaaandsome xD It seems like him suppressing his wolf nature means it comes out in unexpected ways, like where before he'd be perfectly zen in almost any situation, the wolf is looking for an escape. And he absolutely told Tara to run for her own safety. Oh, and he's too good for Willow anyway (not a Willow fan); I'm still mad at her for breaking his heart and losing us the best character in the series. Didn't help that I despised Tara when I first watched Buffy - and on several re-watches - so I'm blaming teenage me for a lack of understanding. On re-watches now, I always skip this one and Wild at Heart. I tear up seeing Oz hurting so much and that we'll never see him recover.
Another fantastic reaction. I hope you are watching Angel even if you aren't reacting to it because it's a great show and there is some very interesting crossover.
True, and I don't think he's being painted as a bad guy here, just one who sadly can't be in a relationship with the person he loves due to something that he has no control over that could end up harming her. His taking off both times was the most mature and loving action he could have taken for her
I was tickled that Joss presented Willow as being bisexual during a period in our social history when neither "straight" nor "homosexuals" recognized it as a possibility that a person could be attracted to members of both sexes.
[spoilers-ish] As a bisexual woman, I do want to point out that Willow doesn't identify as bi. She definitely identies as gay or lesbian from here on. It used to bother me, until I learned that being lesbian didn't mean she didn't love Oz, or negate him in any way. But yeah, Willow isn't a bisexual character. She is an amazing LGBTQ representation nonetheless though! And she was in love with both Oz and Tara ❤️
@@ceceliam9014 If Wil was an actual person, perfectly valid, even if she did have legit physical and emotional attraction to Oz (which only they could ever know). As a character that's suppose to represent social issues and whom we know far more intimately that we could ever know a real person, it definitely pushes the limit of "No Bisexuals". Joss has noted that the network did kind of force his hand, saying that a homosexual character was pushing it enough and that trying to present a bi character would be too much for the audience.
@@Leafsdude_ Has he? That wouldn't be surprising, and I definitely don't hate thinking of her as bi. Just was thinking that it can also be important for people to be able to identify how they identify, and Willow had moments like "Him" where even under a love spell she wanted to change the subject into a woman, lol. But I can see it being valid that she is a character and a lot goes into the identity she's allowed to depict beyond just a person defining oneself.
I'm fine with the last episode too. Not a favourite, but it was a fun and interesting episode. I think a lot of people hate it because so many people just hate Riley 🤷🏼♀️
I never understood the title aversion for reactors; if the point is to experience the show like we did then, we knew the titles. Like you said, it adds to the excitement. And then telling people to avoid certain titles does the reverse, it puts an expectation on that particular episode. I love Oz but I agree with what you pointed out that what Willow has with Tara is more intense. Oz was the perfect first boyfriend, and his stoicism made him round out the Scoobies quite well. I like that Buffy herself had a chance to empathize with Riley's position of shock, so they both got to experience the flip side of their argument.
@@bigdream_dreambig Yeah I just caught episodes on TiVo. Don’t recall paying attention to titles. At the time I wasn’t even watching the show in order exactly. I was catching up with reruns on basic cable while watching new episodes as they aired. I think I started watching from season 3 while season 5 was airing. Probably not the ideal way to watch the show. Didn’t have to watch a show in order before so I didn’t know what was going on for a while. I think each reactor needs to determine for themselves what they will or will not watch for their own enjoyment. If titles, previously on, or names in opening credits reduces their enjoyment then they should skip them. I’ve seen a couple reactors have editors scrub bits like that so they can’t see them. If they’re ok with those things then they can see them. It clearly makes her more excited for the episode so she should watch them.
@@zemoxian Personally, I skip the "next week on" and "previously on" for any show that I'm watching regularly because I don't need the reminders. They're all just unwanted spoilers for me.
Most reactors don't want to get spoiled and most viewers like that. You do get that we prefer to see "OMG Oz is back!!!" rather than "Oh Oz is back in this episode." It's the emotional REACTION. There's only 1 first time reaction. But you do you.
Yes girl! Those 'Previously On' moments were EVERYTHING. Especially if we missed an episode, we'd get caught up quickly once the new episode started. It was even more exciting when the episode would end and we'd get a glimpse of next week's episode. THAT was what we always looked forward to and made us keep coming back to watch the show. I would be there on that night at 8pm sitting in front of the TV. Bathroom breaks and snack breaks during commercials lol. Just about every day of the week I'd watch Buffy, Dawson's Creek, Felicity, Charmed, Angel, Xena on the weekends and yes I'll admit I also watched 7th Heaven as well. Eventually I added Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Hidden Palms, Point Pleasant, Dollhouse, Tru Calling, The O.C, Summerland, Ringer, Privileged, The Secret Circle etc. That's just off the top of my head lol. Girl, my week was always full lol. I then began to make big poster calendars with weekly TV schedules on there and tape them up on my bedroom wall so that my sisters would know when a certain show was airing on that specific weekday. Oh man, I miss those days. Those early years of The WB/The CW were the place to be.
Speaking as a sapphic, yes, Oz's reaction to discovering that Tara and Willow are at the very least sleeping together is heightened to accommodate a fantasy element. That being said, it's pretty accurate to reactions I've received upon telling men (even men I once considered friends or dated) that I am gay. There's often a special kind of anger that they feel when they think they've been "emasculated" by a potential femme who could "steal" the femme they know from them... even if they aren't interested in the femme coming out/being outed in the first place. I have an internet acquaintance who was physically attacked by her ex-boyfriend when she came out to him, and she had described him as being much like Oz previous to it. It's homophobia mixed with toxic masculinity. Oz didn't handle it well when Xander placed the love spell on all of Sunnydale's women (he literally punched Xander in the face without saying anything just for Xander making Willow cry). True, he handled the two of them cheating pretty well, but he eventually stopped feeling threatened by Xander. Tara makes Oz feel threatened as a MAN.
Oz literally didn't do anything. He wanted to know what was going on, because Willow was being evasive and he really cares for her so he was worried and needed clarification for something that was very important for his future. He was *NOT* aggressive, but he obviously and understandably was insistent. He did *NOT* feel emasculated. He did *NOT* care about whether or not Willow had a label on. He only cared to find out whether a relationship with the love of his life, which he had come back for, was still possibile or not. He simply asked Tara to tell him if there was something between them (which, you know... fair). The height of his mistake was taking Tara's hand. But you got to understand that in the '90s not every human contact was seen as an aggression (or an excuse to claim there was one). 😉
