Buffy the Vampire Slayer - What's My Line Part 2 - S02E10 Review

WHAT'S MY LINE PART 2
SEASON 2 EPISODE 10

Picking up right where we left off, we find Buffy and Kendra at a standoff. They argue a bit about who the real slayer is...and man Kendra's accent is annoying; I don't remember it ever being this bad. Flash over to Angel soaking up some rays, about to die while some strange monk-ish chanting is played over top; Angel is usually the knight that saves the damsel but it's interesting that he's the damsel in this episode, not something that's done very often.

Back at the library, Giles marvels over how there are two slayers now while Buffy is really catty towards Kendra. Giles figures out that since Buffy died for a minute at the end of Season 1, a new slayer was called, making two active slayers now. Kendra lets it slip that she disposed of Angel and we see him getting "saved" by Willy, who has really only done so in order to deliver to Spike. I guess dealings like this is how he gets his snitchy moniker. Now let's check on Cordy and Xander with the bland worm guy who attempts to hide his identity before giving up and exploding into a bunch of worms. The effect of him exploding is actually pretty cool. They barricade themselves in Buffy's basement, duct taping the crack under the door.

Buff and Kendra question Willy, who somehow convinces him that Angel's just recuperating. Not one of Buffy's more perceptive moments. The next day, Giles decides that until Spike and Dru are taken care of, Buffy and Kendra shall work together. Kendra and Giles hit it off quite well; they're both sticklers for the rules, they fit right in. Buffy gets so down she even wonders if Kendra could take her place, all in her wishes for a normal life. I forgot how Clark Kent she is sometimes in the early seasons. Meanwhile at Buffy's house, Cordy and Xander are arguing about what to do. Their fighting grows more and more heated until it explodes into a big passionate kiss. My favorite part is how cheesy the music swells when it happens. They then decide to run for it, and Cordy gets drenched with worms that were on the ceiling. Xander hoses her off for what seems like forever, and they bolt. Man worm guy is a bit of a wuss; he didn't really even try to kill them.

Back at the career fair, Buffy decides to check out the law enforcement table while Oz hits on Willow some. It's funny, I actually understand his musician speak now! At the police table, the instructor woman asks who Buffy is, and then starts shooting at her. She hits Oz in the arm, who bravely pushes Willow out of the way. Once she knows she's outmatched, she takes Jonathan (the almost-victim of the Inca Mummy Girl) hostage and then throws him down as she escapes. Something about that actress really annoys me, but I'm not sure what it is.

Back at the library, everyone meets everyone, Xander is attracted to Kendra, who is shy around men. Giles figures out that the ritual requires Angel, Dru's sire, and Buffy flips the angry switch. Kendra suggests that the priority is to stop Dru, not save Angel, to which even Xander sticks up for Angel. "Angel's our friend! Except I don't like him." Xander even makes a Beatles "I Am the Walrus" reference: the quickest way to my heart. Buffy and Kendra talk about their different upbringings, and how Buffy is made stronger by her family and friends, while Kendra takes on a more serious life of solitude and loneliness. Buffy even teaches Kendra a thing or two about anger, but my favorite part is when Buffy mimics Kendra's accent as they head out to question Willy again.

Kendra: You tink he might help us?
Buffy: I tink we might make him.

Buffy starts pummeling Willy until he finally starts to break down and give some slightly useful information. Kendra wants to go back to Giles while Buffy wants Willy to take them to Spike immediately. They get in a tiff and separate, with Willy leading Buffy into the church, and subsequently into a trap. If you can't trust a guy named Willy the Snitch, then who CAN you trust? The ritual goes off without a hitch, and then Willy storms in with Buffy. Spike tells the order to kill her then Kendra storms in, and they proceed to beat Spike up.

Buffy: It's your lucky day, Spike
Kendra: Two Slayers.
Buffy: No waiting!

The rest of the gang shows up too to help take on the order and Spike's vamps. Xander lures the bug man under the church door, where Cordy and a bucket of liquid adhesive are waiting. They proceed to smash up all his worms and kill him. Pretty anticlimactic. The rest of the fight is pretty cool, with Buffy and Kendra trading off every so often. Willy gets away, and Willow even stakes her first vamp! And they didn't even have the budget to do it on-screen, the poor thing.

Spike sets the church on fire, picks up Dru, and starts running for the door, but Buffy conks him in the head and causes the giant pipe organ to collapse on them, seemingly killing them. She comes to Angel's aid, and this is where the role reversal is most obvious; she's sitting over him, stroking his face, that's a total Angel move that she stole! Everyone gets out and all is well.

At school the next day, Willow thanks Oz for saving her life and they share a nice flirtatious moment involving animal crackers. Then Xand and Cordy have a little talk about their kiss earlier, then the music swells again and they kiss again, just as sloppy and funny as the last time. Seems like everyone's pairing off! Buffy sees Kendra off, who's going back home. She leaves Buffy with the info that slaying is who she is, not a job. And Buffy takes comfort that she's not alone in slaying fight. As annoying as Kendra is, it's a nice moment. But wait, there's more! Dru rises from the church shambles and picks up Spike, carrying him to safety, while she walks away from bad CGI.

Overall this episode is better than the first part, and I see the need to make it a two-parter, but it's not one of my favorite storylines. It's not bad, it just seems slightly out of place for this point in the season, and Kendra is pretty irritating. I do like a lot of the moments with Buffy though, she really shines in these two episodes, and there are some good scenes about her and her desire for a normal life.

***