Episode #189: ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ 4×22, ‘Angel’ 1×22 – Impostor Syndrome

Join us as we discuss Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4, episode 22, "Restless," and Angel season 1, episode 21, "To Shanshu in L.A."

Superfans: Natalie
Newbies: Brittany, Kristen and Ariana

Fun Facts:
Danielle started watching Search Party, Selina went to a Monet exhibit, Kristen saw Moana, and Caitlin put up her Christmas tree, which initially scared Gage, but now he's sleeping under it like the present he truly is.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4, episode 22, "Restless":
-Synopsis
-This episode ends season 4, but really feels like a fresh start for season 5.
-Initial thoughts.
-Selina has a lot of love for this episode and is always finding new things in the dreamy madness.
-The newbies had some trouble with this episode, but maybe that's kind of in its design?
-Did Joss intend for this episode to be rewatched to suss out all the hidden meaning?
-Willow's dream: She's getting ready to hit the stage in a crazy production of Death of a Salesman, starring Willow as current Willow.
-There's a lot of insecurity at play here, as Willow seems very concerned about who she truly is beneath the surface.
-Willow seems to be suffering from Impostor syndrome.
-Does Willow fear that she will revert to her high school self, or does she just always feel like that young, naive, inexperienced girl.
-Xander is a bit of a different story. His dream sequence was the longest, probably because he's got more going on in his head than the others at the moment.
-The playground scene where Giles and Spike are swinging on the swingset plays into the dynamics of Xander's role in the Scooby gang.
-While Xander has sexy dreams about Tara, Willow, and even Joyce, Buffy seems to have taken on a wholly sisterly role in his subconscious.
-However it could also be frustration about never being a romantic option for Buffy.
-Some brief Apocalypse Now flashes including a cameo from Principal Snyder.
-The show wanted to bring back more characters from the past, including Larry, Jenny Calendar, etc, but we only got a few cameos.
-Giles dream begins with a very childlike Buffy and Olivia pushing a pram.
-The double meaning of Giles' father-like devotion to Buffy and her also being the thing keeping him from living his life is on full display here.
-Giles performance in this episode birthed the idea of the musical episode in Joss Whedon's head, so we have that to look forward to.
-Giles is playing with his different roles, ending with him finding his watch, quite literally being the watcher.
-Buffy's dream starts with that unmade bed, reminding us of Faith's dream from a few episodes back.
-Tara played all the parts that they couldn't fill with former characters.
-There's a lot of meaning in Tara's line, "Be back by midnight."
-What was with Joyce being trapped in the wall? Maybe Buffy is feeling separated from her mother.
-Sequence of the First Slayer. We've heard others say that Slayers aren't supposed to have friends, but hearing that from the First Slayer forces you to think about what kind of role Buffy's Slayer-ness plays in all her decisions.
-Slayers and Watchers have been around since the beginning of time.
-Buffy's dreams get to the source of Buffy's power, and the role that her friends have played in making her who she is.
-The First Slayer not being able to speak for herself is problematic, and we had a few issues with Tara being the one to speak for her. Is she a reliable narrator?
-Each of the characters has their own internal struggle that came to the forefront in this episode.
-Favorite Scenes
-Favorite Lines

Angel season 1, episode 22, "To Shanshu in L.A.":
-Synopsis
-The episode starts with the revelation of the prophecy and Cordy and Wesley trying to help him be more connected to the world.
-Cordy gets a constant stream of visions and it's completely debilitating.
-Did we see Wesley's attack coming?
-What do you think this means for Angel's apartment & the Angel Investigations set?
-Kate is so frustrating. We don't have many nice things to say.
-Angel was at this wit's end and Kate tried to add to that and Angel wasn't having any of it.
-We do have one idea for how Kate could be interesting going forward.
-More Gunn. We like Gunn a lot and would love to see him more.
-Lindsey plays an interesting role in the finale. What do we expect to see from him going forward?
-We solve the mystery of what Shanshu actually means!
-Oh, and Darla's back. Sigh.
-Favorite Scenes
-Favorite Lines

Listener Feedback:
-A cornucopia of comments just in time for us to be thankful on Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S.
-Twitter gives us lots of love for Lindsay, the seasons to come, and Restless.
-Hypable comments dove into depth on what there is to love about "Primeval" and "Restless," more love for the later seasons of Buffy, and some reminders of the great things that season 4 gave us, despite its shortcomings.

Danielle's Deliberations/Kristen's Kontemplations:
-Angel season 2, episode 1, "Judgement"
-Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 5, episode 1, "Buffy vs Dracula"

Contact us!
Email: rewatchable.podcast@gmail.com
Twitter: @Re_Watchable
Tumblr: ReWatchablePodcast.Tumblr.com
Or in the comments below.
Please rate and review us on iTunes!

If there are any issues downloading this episode from iTunes, please refer to this guide.