Oh, c'mon. "It's a Metrocard, you use it to ride the subway" is comedy gold. As is, "You're a nurse?" "I know, some of us are hot," and "If I had knockers like that I'd be thanking God too."

The Barenaked Ladies are the most celebrated Canadian alt-rock band of the mid-'90s

That digital video is unfair to the audience. Like he filmed it through cheesecloth.

If by "retarded" you mean "amazing," then yes, yes it was. Best your-museum-showpiece-is-a-critter movie starring Tom Sizemore EVAR.

Sophist, just curious — season 3 is generally considered one of the best seasons, if not THE best by some. You list one episode from that season on your list, unless I'm missing one, and it's all the way at the bottom. Where do you see season 3?

Before I watched Buffy, I wondered at the casting of the extremely unathletic SMG in the role. Kristy Swanson isn't a very good actor, but she at least looks and moves like someone who could conceivably kick ass.

Oh, but the woman gives us a moment of pure perfection. After 142 previous episodes and seven years, she's the first person — to my memory at least — who points out that Buffy has a really odd name.

Some people look at a flag swaying in the breeze at the White House and say, "that's America." Whenever I see an American flag hung in the window of a basement apartment by guys who have better things to do with their money than buy curtains, I say, "that's America to me."

"Deserve" was maybe the wrong word to use, but the events don't serve the character well.

Sorry, no. It doesn't work. At least, not for me.

OK, because it's late and because I'm drunk, I'm going to illuminate how this could have been done better. When I am done, you will abandon your golden Whedon and worship me as a god:

I disagree with Sophist sometimes — and this episode and the next are probably the biggest areas of disagreement — but his/her love, knowledge and understanding of the show and characters are unmatched. Buffy is a show with a campy premise but solid thematic backbone, and Sophist helps draw out the latter.

<natty>Second, the 'Buffy becomes emotionally detached from her friends' bit is one the writers have gone to the well of far too often. How many variations have we seen on this? DMP is just one of many.</natty>
Not only that, but much of the point of season six was making these characters understand who they are and…

It's hard to watch because it doesn't make a lot of sense. IMO the writers blew a solid chance to make the conflict more internal to Buffy, and to better build a rift between her and the Scoobys. The writers might point out that there are hints of this as far back as Conversations With Dead People. And that's true.…

Tecumseh is exactly right. Sure he's got his soul back, but the First demonstrated a clear hold on him that led to the deaths of quite a few innocent people. But he's OK, because Buffy has this feeling that he's OK.

Hey, if escaping your history is realizing you've been boinking your half-sister all this time, sign me up for the shackles.

You're just mad that I wouldn't build you Christina Ricci.

You're missing Castle, tzero. Which is another way of saying you're not missing much.

Blog. It might be a bit on the 2002 side, but hell, so is Buffy.

Doc Cottle!