It’s Valentine’s Day in Sunnydale, and love is in the air—along with a whole lot of magical chaos. In this delightfully unhinged episode, Xander tries to win Cordelia back with a love spell, only to trigger a mass hysteria of obsessive desire from nearly every woman in town (including Buffy, Amy, Jenny, and even Joyce!). Alan and Jarrod dive deep into the episode’s themes of obsession vs. love, magical manipulation, and the dangers of performative romance. We talk 90s tropes, serial storytelling, deductive vs. inductive structure, and the comedic brilliance of doors that open the wrong way. Plus: Cordelia’s moment of growth, Giles’ exasperation, and the awkwardness of being a teen rat with a need for cheese.

#BuffyRewatch
#BtVSBewitched
#ValentinesDayChaos
#ZanderSpellGoneWrong
#BuffyPodcast
#LoveVsObsession
#ScoobyGang
#CordeliaCharacterArc
#MagicAndConsent
#TeenWitchProblems
#BtVSSeason2
#NeedForCheese
#JoyceSeducesZander
#GilesIsSoTired
#InductiveStorytelling
#WhoWatchesTheWatchers

It’s Buffy meets Teen Wolf as we dive into Phases—the series’ first werewolf episode. Oz is adorable and tortured, Larry is overcompensating, and Giles is packing heat (well, a tranquilizer gun). Alan and Jarrod unpack werewolf lore from Peter Stump to St. Patrick, discuss Jeph Loeb's unexpected connection to Teen Wolf and Buffy, and explore the episode’s layered metaphors: toxic masculinity, repressed identity, and the animal inside us all. Willow’s heart breaks, Buffy’s strength shines, and Cain the misogynist werewolf hunter gets exactly what he deserves. Plus: locker room hijinks, a feminist critique of monster tropes, and Alan’s own werewolf comic origin story.

#BuffyRewatch
#BtVSPhases
#WerewolfEpisode
#OzIsTheWerewolf
#BuffyPodcast
#ToxicMasculinity
#MonsterMetaphors
#SlayerStrength
#BtVSSeason2
#FeministBuffy
#JephLoebTrivia
#SaintPatrickWerewolves
#TeenWolfThrowback
#LarryTheSheep
#SilverBulletLore
#ComplexCreatures

Buffy loses her innocence—literally and metaphorically—and the emotional fallout hits hard. In Innocence, we explore Angel's tragic transformation into Angelus, Willow’s heartbreak, Jenny’s betrayal, and Giles’ grace. Alan breaks down cinematic one-ers and Whedon’s directorial growth, while Jarrod dives deep into the thematic richness of guilt, betrayal, and sexual vulnerability in 90s teen storytelling. The Judge turns out to be a lame Big Bad, but the real villain is emotional manipulation. Plus: mall battles, rocket launchers, and one of the most emotionally raw episodes of the series.

#BuffyRewatch
#BtVSInnocence
#AngelusReturns
#BuffyPodcast
#ScoobyGangDrama
#WillowHeartbreak
#JossWhedonDirecting
#RocketLauncherRedemption
#CinematicOneShot
#TeenMelodrama
#VampireHeartbreak
#BtVSSeason2
#GilesForTheWin
#NoWeaponFormed
#InnocenceLost