Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Good;
The siege of Fort Giles and Buffy's cooking preparations are both excellent. Love Buffy's stetson hat and the Xander digging scene plus the Angel lurking scenes. Favourite though has to be the Scooby cavalry riding to the rescue.

The Bad;
In all the dodgy lessons I've learnt from Buffy perhaps the most disturbing is the idea that when threatened by the vengful spirit of a wronged Native American tribe the solution is to wipe them out entirely so you don't have to worry about them any more.

Best line;
Spike; "You won, alright? You came in and killed them and took their land....The history of the world isn't people making friends. You had better weapons and you massacred them. End of story". Of course Spike is a Victorian, the days when (as Blackadder the 4th put it) "You saw a bloke in a grass skirt you shot him and nicked his country"

Character death;
The priest, the professor, the poor guy captured by the vamps. Buffy kills Hus.

Shot;
Buffy hit by an arrow as is Spike

Tied up;
Spike to the chair

Women good/men bad;
Harmony smartens herself up and kicks Spike out, about time too! Whenever you get the die-hard Spikettes I always think they resemble Harmony a lot more than Buffy or Dru.

Jeez!;
The poor priest! Hung and has his ear cut off not to mention the professor having her throat slit. Spike considers pictures of famine victims funny, not suprising from a soulless vamp but amazed they left it in. Angel snapping the warrior's neck is also pretty cringeworthy.

Kinky dinky;
Anya get's turned on by Xander performing manual labour. Buffy comments that imaginary Xander is 'quite the machine' (she should talk!). Anya also likes the idea of playing nurse for Xander as indeed does Buffy for Riley later and for Angel in both seasons 2 and 3. Xander proposes sex with Anya at the end of the ep by commenting that his syphilis has cleared up. Buffy says she likes her men 'evil', in Get It Done we find out why.

Calling Captain Subtext;
Spike compares his inability to kill as akin to being neutered, do we need any more evidence that to vamps biting equals sex? Buffy observes that Xander looks quite Village People. Well, he's been a soldier, construction worker, cowboy, leather clad vamp and this ep is filled with native americans. Just sailor, and cop to go really?

Guantanamo Bay;
The Scoobies are quite prepared to let Spike broil

Scoobies to the ER;
Poor Xander getting syphilis amongst other diseases

Where's Dawn?
Presumably gone to Aunt Arlenes with Joyce. Arlene must be Joyce's sister rather than Hanks?

Questions and observations;
Xander has previously been working at Hot-Dog-on-a stick which is where Snyder suggested Buffy work in season 3. He gives the rest of the Scoobs freebies as will Buff at the DMP. Giles and Angel have put their differences behind them. Anya doesn't seem to have met Angel before despite them having been in the same room together in Dopplegangland and The Prom. Buffy seems to have inkling that Angel is near, her vamp sense or something stronger? Buffy comments how one person can make a difference, certainly Dopplegangland proves that. Asian Joe has obviously survived the events of Harsh Light of Day and is in the stands at the ceremony. Sunnydale has been around since 1812 so before the Mayor was around. Still plenty of Anya and Will tension. Why does Riley cam-up his face but not his neck? Xander refers to Anya as his girlfriend. Note the sign saying US Army over Angel's head when Riley is talking to Buffy. Hus rather reminds me of an old ep of the TV series Kolchak;The Night Stalker which apparently inspired the X-files. In fairness to Custer he was actually a lot more sympathectic to the Native Americans than most.
Marks out of 10; 9/10 I really like this one, perhaps one of the strongest of season 4

"Pangs" is definitely an episode that contributes to Season 4 status as having a couple of the worst episodes in the 7 Seasons of Buffy, like the very much hated "Beer Bad". All there is, from the beginning to the end, is a boring and silly episode that contributes nothing to the main arc and that solely exists to set the plot to the Angel episode "I Will Remember You". The only thing that save this episode from complete mediocrity is funny quips by Anya and Spike, both characters who continue to improve more and more every episode.



Xander releases a Chumash Native American (like Willow would say) who wants revenge because his people were destroyed by white settlers. Boring. You never really care about him and just want his parts to get over. Even Xander getting syphilis, that should be a funny thing for the show, falls flat due to the events of the episode. Angel also comes to town to protect Buffy from some evil, and not being a Bangel fan (hate the whole teen angst thing, sorry), I couldn't care less about that part either. Also, Buffy crazy with the Thanksgiving dinner was nothing like her and I'm glad this is the only Thanksgiving episode of the show (leave them to "Friends").



The bottom line is that "Pangs" is a very messy episode and one that I won't be watching again for a long, long time. And what was with the bear!?

Angel returns to Sunnydale to check on Buffy after his partner Doyle has a vision of her in danger. Xander falls into a sacred Indian burial area and releases Hus, a vengeance spirit of the original residents of the Sunnydale area. Buffy is determined to have a traditional, home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner; however, Xander comes down with a mysterious disease, and people connected to the Cultural Center have died mysteriously.



I honestly didn't pay attention throughout the whole episode because I was on the phone. The plot is good, I guess, and I liked that Angel returned for Buffy. I kinda liked seeing Xander in danger (yet again) but the whole Thanksgiving thing was boring and stupid. I liked seeing Buffy, Willow, and Anya at the construction site though. Season 4 is pretty bad so far. I expected more from this show.

this episode is just fun to watch! coz it was written by jane espenson it's lighthearted and easygoing and definitely enjoyable right from the start. of course one can argue that the whole american/native american history is dealt with a bit disrespectfully, but there are so many things making up for that! anya gets some of the best lines (maybe coz she's espensons favourite...just thinking :)), and spike is just hilarious 'hey, watch the heart!'.. legend! oh and angel's back! thank god not as the whimp he was at the end of season three but the self-aware and ironic angel we know from his spin-off.

and just to mention: having the scoobies come to save buffy on bikes was amazing!

Pangs was a great Thanksgiving Buffy The Vampire Slayer episode. This was a very entertaining episode to watch. I really like how they have Angel cross over from his spin off series. It was also fun to see spike on his little lonely journey, and where he ended up. Buffy tries to make Thanksgiving perfect with a dedicated focus, despite a new trouble which is coming after her. Willow is reluctant to act in a hasty kill now ask later scenario with the new adversary in this episode. There was alot of good humor in this episode, as well as action!

Why must every series throw in a show about Native Americans? It's not that they make bad subject matter, or bad episodes. It just seems that every show does the same, or very similar episodes about the subject. Indian gets taken advantage of, Indian wants revenge. The end. Luckily this episode throws in enough content to keep from falling into bad episode status.



In another crossover episode with Angel, Doyle has a vision that Buffy is in trouble. So Angel heads back to Sunnydale to make sure she's OK. We the viewer know that Angel is there, but Angel wants to watch over her without her knowing. However, Buffy can feel that something is not quite right.



While digging for a construction gig, Xander falls through the hole and into a cavern. He unleashes an Indian spirit that wants to get revenge for what happened to his people. The only real saving grace of this episode, and what keeps it in the 8's as far as rating goes are the Anya/Xander scenes, and the Spike scenes.

It's been hard to give Giles things to do now that he's not a Librarian (or Watcher) anymore. In an attempt to be more inclusive with him, they've decided he will host Thanksgiving for the gang, though, it's Buffy who's all OCD about making sure everything is perfect.



An Indian warrior (sorry, Native American) is resurrected to take revenge on his ancestors who were wronged, a direct contrast of the meaning of this holiday (pilgrims and natives making peace). Yet Willow feels bad, and in one of the most annoying things they've had her do- she adamantly defends the demon, insisting they do something besides kill it.



It turns into a bear later. Yeah...



Angel returns as part of the WB's first Buffy/Angel crossover, but the experience is anti-climatic and as a stand alone, it's disappointing how little he's used here, including not even making contact with Buffy.

Pangs is a great episode, entertaining, funny and an original concept. It's not the best episode but it is well written, well executed and doesn't disappoint.



Angel coming back is something I'm not a fan of. He added nothing to this episode and it just seemed like a marketing stunt to try to get everyone's "favourite" couple back together for an episode. The same with the Angel crossover "I Will Remember You". Many consider it to be Top 5 material. I consider it a pathetic fan-serviceathon. I'm just not a fan of the Bangel relationship and I'm very happy Angel and Buffy had no interactions in this episode.



I like the idea of the Native Americans. It was original and imported what Thanksgiving really is- one country celebrating wiping out another race. I agree with Willow on the matter. Though it doesn't concern me as I don't live in America! Still, the bear thing was funny and it had some good scenes.



I loved that Spike became intergrated into the group more here so he doesn't become pointless. I loved his interactions with the rest of the group. He's comedy gold and he really worked well here. James Marsters was as hilarious as always. He delivers the lines in such a great way.



I LOVE LOVE LOVE! the bicycle calvary scene. It's so silly and funny and has no context within the episode but it's such a great scene that you can't help but love! Even Joss loves it. Joss is God.



Xander/Anya and Buffy/Riley took an important step forward here. Buffy inviting Riley to Thanksgiving was a nice scene and Xander calling Anya his girlfriend was great too. I don't like Buffy/Riley but I love Xander/Anya, so I like all their little scenes together!



Pangs is a great episode. It's not mindblowing or unforgettable but is a solid episode and one that Bangel fans will like.

This episode cleverly is tied into what Angel is up to in L.A. This episode digs up old feelings between Buffy and Angel and really shows the audience just how in love they were. Buffy senses his presence even though she can't see him, and Angel painfully avoiding Buffy to spare her the pain really captures the essence of their previous relationship. This is also an episode where Buffy grows, she realises she needs to make a new life and new traditions for herself, and really shows growth in her preparation of Thanksgiving Dinner. This is also a great episode for the development of Xander and Anya's relationship, not to mention introducing a new plotline for Spike. Overall a great episode.

Pangs-After his partner Doyle has a vision of Buffy in trouble, Angel comes to town secretly to make sure she is alright. At the groundbreaking ceremony for a new Cultural Center at the college, Xander falls into a sacred Indian burial area and releases Hus, a vengeance spirit of the Chumash Indians, the original residents of the Sunnydale area. Buffy is determined to have a traditional, home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner, but Xander has come down with a debilitating mystical disease, and people connected to the Cultural Center start dying mysteriously.



Definately not the most story driven episode and a remotely uninteresting, "Pangs" is your typical Buffy moster of the week episode but with some stappy dialogue to make it mildy interesting. The whole Native American spirits seeking revenge really goes no where and the guest stars are just boring in their roles. Atleast the main cast was still in top form and they were entertaining throughout. I loved Buffy going all "Martha Stewart" on Thanksgiving, barely worried about the supernatural threat upon them. Then there was Willow's funny remarks about defending the Native Americans, Giles referring to Americans as "bloody colonials", and Xander's syphilis with Anya caring after him. Not to mention, Spike was just priceless throughout. It was about time the writers made James Masters apart of the cast and having Spike around makes for a great new dynamic on the series. I loved lines like:



Spike: "I came, I saw, I conquered, I felt really bad about it."



and



Buffy: "You'll have gravy, that has blood in it right."

Spike: "You know what else has blood in it? Blood!"



Also, watching Spike repeatedly get hit by arrows was beyond hilarious. Also, how could I forget:



Spike: "A bear, you made a bear."

Buffy: "I didn't mean to."

Spike: "Undo it! Undo it!"



The only real downside is David Boreanaz making a pointless guest spot as Angel. While it's great to see Angel again, the whole life-threatening vision Doyle got at the end of "The Bachelor Party" makes no sense when the threat wasn't even that serious. Besides all Angel does is snap a few necks, throws a knife, lurks around...that's it! I guess the writers just needed a set up for "I Will Remember You" on Angel, but couldn't it have been done smoother? Anyway, "Pangs" is still a slightly above average hour with some hilarious dialogue, but nothing really too special.

So, Angel came along, lurking after Buffy. Not very nice of him, since he knew (and Giles told him) that's not really nice of him to do... Eventhough Buffy didn't know she was being watched, she felt his presence. Love still strong..



Spike invited himeslf to Giles's and the company to 'celebrate' thansgiving, since Harmony kicked him out and he was wandering around, hungry, not knowing where to go. And he ended up at Buffy's little party. What an irony! Buffy was being disturbed by Indians gathering an army (to kill all the white conquestors that have killed all the indians in the past) while preparing a real american thansgiving meal! With Angel interfering they kicked indians asses and went eating. You can not hold against Xander for opening up his big mouth and telling Angel was here...

angel came back,thinking buffy is in danger,but he doesn't want her to know.and while buffy is trying to have a Thanksgiving dinner set,an indian spirit is making an army and killing off people and slicing they're ears off.and that spike went to buffy for help,that one was a funny one.unlucky xander,which all the demons seem to like to make targets out of him,had syphilis.i like the way anya said,"wow.i wonder what he's like when he's evil." and it was funny how everyone was battling for they're lives and house while spike was on a chair that is lying on the floor with arrows sticking out of him.angel went away after all of it,which was kinda sad that buffy didn't even know he was there keeping an eye on her,untill Xander reavealed it all that is.and one of the best part was that there was little riley!he didn't even play an important part!and yes,i hate riley.

angel came back!!! this episode is the best because angel came back. but its kinda sad that buffy never saw him tho she found out about angel at the end of the episode and later went to los angelos to find him. this is also the episode spike came to buffy for help. xander looked funny in this episode. but maybe because he had syphlis. i started liking spike in this episode. he was just so funny. angel was so sweet even though he didn't let buffy see him. he actually saved buffy's life. also he helped a lot in this episode.

Angel is back but does not want Buffy to know. So during the ground breaking of a new building ancient native American spirits are disturbed and take revenge on those who were around – basically the scoobies as Xander was working construction. Poor Xander gets the funny syphilis. It’s Thanksgiving time and Buffy is just trying to make a good meal for all and figure out what is up with a limp Spike. Favorite Quote of the Episode:

Buffy: It was pretty darn scary. It was more like a riot than a Ralphs. I thought I was going to have to use Slayer moves on this one woman who was completely hoarding the pumpkin pie filling.

Favorite Quotes:

Xander: "Hey, can we come rocketing back to the part about me and my new syphilis?"

Anya: "It'll make you blind and insane. But it won't kill you. The smallpox will."



I have to say, I really hope those of you who watched this episode were able to see Angel 'I Will Remember You', which was the follow-up to this episode of Buffy. That being said...this was a great ep. Angel is in town to watch over Buffy, and everyone knows this except for Buffy. It was so good to see him back, although it was short lived. There were some truly hilarious moments thanks in large part to the hostage AKA Spike. And even better? Very little Riley! Ok, Ok...I don't hate Riley, but he was never my pick for Buffy's love interest.

Finally, season 4 gets into the groove. So far I have been so disappointed with this season, but now that we have an episode written by Jane Espenson, things are looking up!



Jane really works to get back the chemistry and banter between the Scoobies, that has been sorely lacking so far this season. Obviously we are going to have new characters come into the picture, now that Buffy and Willow are in college, but until now we haven't had much of the old gang's team spirit or snappy dialogue. I love how Buffy gets all Martha Stewart over having a perfect Thanksgiving while everyone around her is trying to deal with the Indian (I mean Native American) spirit guy. Xander starts to realize it might not be so bad to have Anya around, Angel sneaks in for a visit and Spike is back in form, verbally, if not physically. After the Initiative put the chip in his head, and he can't feed I almost feel sorry for him. But I also can't stop laughing at the idea of him tied to the chair while the bad guys shot arrows at him, then at the end, while everyone is eating dinner, they let him sit at the table, still all tied up! In addition to the comedy the episode actually brings up some interesting issues of history and how much damage was done to native civilizations. Overall, great and I hope the Season 4 continues on the upswing.

When Buffy and gang decide to throw their own Thanksgiving Buffy gets a little over zealous about the whole ordeal. While trying to create and maintain the perfect holiday a mysterious disease inflicts Xander while a serious haunting in connection causes the deaths of others. In the final battle to extinguish this evil, though the gang is sort of at odds about how evil the evil actually is, Angel returns in an attempt to help Buffy ward it off. By the end of the episode things are wrapped up quite nicely. The evil vanquished, the meal perfect as it can be, and Buffy is none the wiser of Angel's return. At least she is almost none the wiser of Angel's return.

I am obsessed with David Boreanaz. I was so happy when I saw him in this episode!! It was good to see Angel again. Just like Xander said at the end of the episode. That was a pretty funny line.

The tribal people (I forget thier names) kind of freaked me out, a bit. My favorite part is when everyone was fighting with them. Of course, I liked the Angel parts more, but . . . :)

Buffy also tried to cook Thanksgiving dinner, which had some interesting, and funny, results. She was extremely neurotic about the whole thing and it was very funny.

A great character-driven episode. From Anya ogling Xander's buff shovel-wielding bod as the show opens, to Spike's impish facial expression in the very last shot, this one's a great examble of BTVS at it's funniest. Buffy castigates Giles for not having a ricer, then admits that she doesn't know what a ricer is. Buffy gripes at Willow for buying frozen, rather than fresh, peas, bemoaning the fact that the peas'll be mushy, then Giles, the archetypal Brit, remarks that he likes mushy peas. Willow channels her santimoniously p.c. mother by dutifully expressing solidarity with the poor oppressed Native-American who's trying to kill them all at "Fort Giles". Spike gets bound to a chair, pierced by multiple arrows, then freaks hilariously when Buffy inadvertently transforms an attacking "indigeous person" into a huge bear. If you love the characters (which you surely would if you'd watched the series so far) it's hard to imagine your not getting a giggle from Pangs. Watching it back-to-back with it's companion Angel episode, though, "I Will Remember You", might prove a bit jarring, as the Angel ep is as sad and dark as Pangs is light-hearted and hysterical

buffy and thanksgiving...why? this is another lousy boring episode. some indians wanna kill them. only good thing was that angel came to visit. it is always good to see angel around when the rest suck. spike was annoying as ever. i wish those indians had killed him.



something else happened? ohyeah xander got syfilis. i guess thats funny.

When I watched this episode I realized that my family thanksgivings aren't all that screwed up after all. I especially love the part where they have Spike at the table with a full plate in front of him, but his hands are bound to the chair. This is the best episode of this very off season of BTVS. ^_^

A middling episode that is raised by the witty repartee among the cast. The inclusion of the Indian tribal spirits brings up a lot of the past's mistakes when the U.S. was still being formed. Unfortunately, it's just too big a topic to really fit as a one-off episode and so kind of feels...rushed and incomplete in a way. The inclusion of Angel also seemed particularly clumsy and I'm wondering why he needed to come to Sunnydale. I see the reason behind wanting to keep Angel and Buffy (the shows) in contact with one another as characters with a history and with both shows in the same tv-universe, but there were far better episodes they could have used for a cross-promotion.

Xander has another job, one that eventually leads to a vocation, and not a career in the Village People at that. As Anya watches his muscles a-ripplin’ and Willow & Buffy (in an (in)appropriate cowboy hat), watch the inauguration of the University’s new Cultural Centre, we get differing opinions on the meaning of Thanksgiving – “Contributions from all cultures, making our culture stronger,” says the (she’s so dead) anthropologist, “Thanksgiving is about one culture wiping out another,” from PC Willow and: “It’s a ritual sacrifice - with pie,” from pragmatic Anya. I’m just glad the Dean hasn’t turned out to be Snyder-like evil.



Talking of Buffy’s old life, Angel, on some whim from Doyle, has returned to lurk on corners and brood in shadows again, just like he used to. I hate the Buffy/Angel crossovers because us British viewers didn’t ever get to watch the two series concurrently - and the Angel episode that follows, when Buffy turns up in LA, is just a Superman 2 rip-off. Anyway, Buffy doesn’t see her former paramour, but she too is longing to return to an earlier, simpler time, complete with yams and turkey and cranberries and pumpkin pie. Her real family is disbanded and her friends replace her relatives. And they argue like a family too. Willow is the stroppy teenager, testing boundaries by arguing with the father figure about morality and wanting to do things her way, Buffy is mom, trying to meditate and cook at the same time, Xander the older brother with the funny venereal disease and the new girlfriend that no-one is keen on, and Spike is the unexpected, unwanted annoying uncle who says things people don’t want to here.



Willow and Giles battle it out over the moral issue of the indigenous people whilst Buffy bastes and peels. Giles still wants to call the yanks “colonials” and Buffy thinks Giles is the reason that there were Pilgrims in the first place. Both Willow and Giles have a point – the Chumash had terrible things done to them but, as Giles puts it, “vengeance is never sated” – the dead anthropologist got it right when she talked about different cultures merging together. Not ignoring the past but not dwelling on it either. Moving on.



Something Spike hasn’t been able to do; instead he’s shivering like a Dickensian orphan at misted-up windows watching vamps feeding. Harmony has been reading self-help books and is no longer interested in him and he is reduced to begging for help from his (im)mortal enemies. Spike is hilarious in this ep, from trying to jog his chair away from the attacking arrows, to screeching at Buffy about the bear, to his terrible(y funny) remark about famines, to bawling out the gang: “You massacred them. It’s what conquerors do,” whilst sitting with arrows through his chest. He has a point, although one would have thought Willow’s family escaped a pogrom to come to the US and Xander’s maybe a potato blight, rather than their families having been amongst the first settlers.



Under attack at Fort Giles, the gang escape to try to rescue the Dean, only to return as the cavalry on E.T.-style bicycles. Angel has to fight outside, he is as much of an outsider as the Indians. As the Scoobs finally sit down to eat, he has to lurk off back to LA, he has no part to play in Thanksgiving.



By suggesting Buffy kill the Amerindians with their own weapons, Xander once again saves the day, only to ruin it. Buffy, chief cook and warrior, says it was like the old days, everyone working together, (The actual old days, not just Buffy’s rose-tinted past). Xander replies: “Especially with Angel being here and all”.



Oops.

A good episode which begins the second crossover from Buffy to Angel.

‘Pangs’ was an episode about thanks giving that turns disastrous when an Indian soul is awakened for vengeance on the ones who took his country.



It’s the holydays and everyone is leaving for a family dinner but Buffy can’t because her mom isn’t home. So she decides to make her own thanksgiving dinner but Willow isn’t in for that because she hates the tradition and thinks that it’s celebrating one cloture whipping out another.



Angel is also in town to protect her and shows his face to Giles and Willow. Meanwhile Xander is also digging for the town but he falls into a big hole and a green light escapes. Next day Xander is feeling very sick and Anya thinks that he has all the diseases you can get. I really loved Anya’s humor in this making her not a bad replacement for Cordy after all.



So anyway, the Indian (Native American) begins to kill people the way his people were killed, hanged up and he cuts off their ear.

Buffy almost stopped him but couldn’t so she lets him go. The special effects were very good too, the way he changed into animals forms.



Anyway, while Buffy kept worrying about the dinner and Willow and Giles kept arguing about the right thing to go. Spike pays a visit and he wants in, he will tell them about the initiative if they feed him. The part which I didn’t like was definitely the Spike being hungry and lonely storyline, I really couldn’t care less and the way the writers wrote him into the gang was a little bit lame.



But anyway, the Indian invites his other friends and they come to kill the hero. Angel is also there to protect her in a way she can’t see them. They fight off the Indians and Buffy finds out that the only way to kill them is with their own knifes and after killing Hus they all disappear.



The best part of the episode was when they were eating dinner and Xander accidentally tells about Buffy being in town.

The episode succeeded on the level of humor, the special effects and acting were quite humorous. Even though it’s not the most memorable episode, it was definitely entertaining and well done.

Well its unusual for there to be a thanksgiving ep in anything this is totally original! its usually christmas which there are no buffy eps for and halloween which there are two. the halloween ones are good. but the thanksgiving one was really good. The third knock on the door when buffy and giles are in the kitchen is spike. ive always remebered that. lol i like the "turvy topsy" ness of how spike who was once one of the baddies is now a chip headed aww moment worthy vampire. i felt deep sympathy for him when he was out stumbling around in his blanket looking for "someone to eat" when he cant eat anything that isnt dead. its sad really. then when he was tied to the chair all full of arrows that was funny! im wondering if Angel (the stupid git) was even smart enough to realize that spike was tied to a chair in the middle of the living room! lol. it made no sense why Buffy couldnt see him angel while he was in town. why did he come anyway? oh because the scary evil ghosties were after her. big whoop. it not like its unusual that there are things that want to cut off your parts and kill you. other than the bad angel this episode was highly original and really good.