These are great thoughts.

I learned through the Buffy anniversary press that Spike joined Angel for season 5. They have some additional Spike backstory that season, episode 8 "Destiny" being the most specific. I was glad I watched the season - it reinforced that Spike is a versatile character and plays well in any situation. It was also nice…

I have such fondness for this show (although the missing soundtrack hurts). My not yet teenage brain's take on a young Johnny Depp: I was fascinated by the way he chewed gum.

German dvds still have the original soundtrack, you say….

I have a soft spot for Xander bc of his loyalty. I get how it could be interpreted as creepy but I saw a guy with a crappy home life and crappy school life who had a bestie in Willow. Once they started the Scoobies, he got to be part of something. Even though he didn't have smarts or powers/strength, he always showed…

Valerie was walking behind him during the search. I took that as something.

I agree that Archie pining over Betty (now that she's with Jughead) is not needed and kind of dreaded. To be fair to Archie, if they go this way, he did say that he'd never be good enough for Betty and Jughead would be a game-changer in this regard.

The show did a good job planting some seeds for Jughead's mom. She's creative/writes, she's (I assume) younger than the other parents, plus Jughead got his resiliency, levelheadedness and heart from somewhere. Either home life was stable for long enough that his dad's addiction issues/family upheaval feel short term…

This makes me sad.

Theory: the jacket is some sort of collateral/evidence to protect himself/play someone else.

If Jughead doesn't live within biking/walking distance, they probably didn't hangout near his house (assuming kids today are still allowed to bike somewhere). Papa Jughead doesn't strike me as the type to take a turn in kiddie carpool. I think they could be "school friends" w/o parents realizing it. Jughead and Archie…

If the world is just, Josh Jackson will get his George Clooney turn.

Maybe his given name is Archie so he assumed that Josie wasn't a nickname. I should cut him some slack… his best friend is named Jughead. He goes to school with Moose. He's probably open-minded and I'm being a jerk.

I like it.
They aren't ensuring the homeless teens are randomly gifted pretty nice apartments from semi-strangers though.

This episode specifically was making sure Archie was entertainingly one step behind. It becomes really clear on a rewatch… in every scene he has a moment and at the dinner, he has, like, four. But it builds because by the end he's Sleuthering Yoko Ono and trying to keep up. I find his character very endearing after…

This is part of why I enjoy the show… I find it charming. Plus, it leads to moments at the picnic table where Archie suddenly asks what everyone else it up to and they're all "ppssshhtttt… it's cool"

So…Hermione is just gonna buy that Fred Andrews, guy who has maintained a successful business in a small community he's lived in his whole life, suddenly offers her a job he rejected her for and his books (which someone has been maintaining and since its a small business, I'm guessing the owner has) reflect he can…

They make a person feel safe. For some, first partners are about feeling like you get to set the pace as you figure stuff out. And you're happy to sacrifice some boredom for security.

I'm so over Betty/Archie that I read her glance at the speaker moment as "Oh yeah, Archie and Veronica had that show tonight. It was a big deal for him. Shoot. Hope that turned out okay. Well … I've got a thing."

I agree.
However, breakfast allows them to fit in the visit to Polly same-day. I feel like Betty would manage her sleuthing schedule that closely.