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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 6x20 Full Reaction (Patreon)

Published:
2025-05-01 14:00:10
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

"Villains"

Files

Previews only

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 6x20 Full Reaction

Comments

madfem

making us wait 4 days for this was akin to how Willow tortures Warren with the slow bullet lmaooo jk jk

madfem

I gotta say I don't like that you're further back in the frame bc I watch these reactions on my laptop with you on a smaller tab and then the episode in a bigger tab (I feel like that makes sense but idk maybe I should be putting you in a big tab and the episode should be the small tab??) so now you're even smaller and I have to zoom in on your tab it's kind of annoying (since you asked for feedback I'm putting it out there)

ThePowerDrome
>>172667257

Well, since you're watching the reaction, not the episode itself, it makes sense that the Cass tab should be the main one, and the episode should be in a small separate window. At least, that's how it is for me.

R. Chang

The flaying was shocking, but I guess I'm just a vengeful person because while I did worry about Willow's state of mind, I felt fine about Warren getting murdered. Jonathan and Andrew, on the other hand. I thought they needed to be punished by going to jail (which they already were), not magic torture so at this point I was hoping that Buffy would be able to stop Willow and pull her back from the edge.

kachow6969

i like that you distinguished between the writers killing tara and warren killing tara. i feel the same way, just never had the words for it like that

madfem

This is one of the best episodes of the show for me. Marti Noxon the writer that you are.

madfem

I really think you're supposed to revel in the Willow torturing Warren scene. I mean to me it's just seeing what I would like to see being done to the countless awful men that populate this planet but can't be done IRL. It's cathartic. Of course I understand feeling bad for how it's gonna potentially affect Willow going forward but tbh in the moment I'm just cheering

Claire Eyles

The Dark Willow storyline was apparently planned from the end of Season 2; whoever Willow was with at the time would've been killed to trigger the story arc. Amber Benson was told about her characters death at the end of season 5, I believe. From interviews she's given it sounds like she was uncertain about Tara being killed off at her first; however, later on she had been having issues with another cast member and wanted to leave the show anyway by the sounds of it: From Pink News: The actor explained she had “some issues” with an unnamed person on the show, which “kind of came to a head” as she was ready to exit the show. “Leaving the show was sad because there are some of the crew and the writers and some of the cast that I just adore, but I had made my peace with that person and the show and I was done."

Jason Harrelson

I believe it was Amber Benson's choice to not be a series regular because it freed her to pursue other projects in addition to Buffy, but adding her for one episode allowed her to go forward with series regular on her resume.

R. Chang
>>172680837

Knowing what we know now, it was probably Whedon that she had issues with. While I think people make a bigger deal out of it than is merited, there is plenty of evidence that he could be a real toxic asshole on set.

Claire Eyles

I can honestly say I have never struggled with that scene at the end, and I still revel in Warren's suffering and death every time I rewatch it (which is at least once a year on top of Patreon reactions). Three reasons: 1) It is just a TV show at the end of the day, 2) I'm a gorehound and love special effects work, 3) I completely understand and accept that I have the capacity to do the same (albeit minus the supernatural powers and flaying) if someone killed someone I love - doesn't mean I think it's right, just that given the same circumstances my mind would absolutely go straight there. So Warren's flaying, to me at least, is absolutely a fist pump the air kind of moment.

ThePowerDrome

I think Buffy has another mental breakdown. She should see a psychiatrist. They all should, I mean. Except Spike, lol. It's like she's trying to pick up the pieces of a broken cup, not realizing that just having the pieces around doesn't make the cup whole, it's easier to throw them away (in the case of the cup). Her life before Seeing Red must have seemed wonderful to her compared to what's happening now. I can't imagine how she would look Spike in the eye after what happened. I've seen a lot of different reactors and most of them actually let their dark side out and openly enjoyed everything Willow and Warren did in this episode. Of course, it depends on how connected you really are to Tara. I also wish your moderators would do a better job of passing on advice from the viewers, because they really do work and you'll need to listen to them more than once.

Jorgalorg

I really like Buffy's reasoning about not killing Warren, and you're right, it shows what a good slayer she is. And Buffy has experience: she saw what happened with Faith, what happens when an otherwise good person finds themselves in horrid circumstances and their control ceases. I don't think it's character assassination, I think the progression is built well even if I generally have a strong dislike for the magic = drugs thing. Willow's always had a dark side, and in a terrible way, she sort of mirrors Warren: a bullied nerd whose resentments come out when they get a taste of destructive power. Difference is, Willow had friends and wanted to be good. Warren didn't have particularly good friends, and has no insight into himself.

borednow

I like episodes where I am mentioned…

Daniel

Dark Willow has arrived and no I’m not bored now. Lots of foreshadowing throughout this season and pretty much since Restless.

slypeartree

I do not know what psychology says about it but I think that fantasizing about bad stuff being done to bad people is okay as long as the fantasizing does not become an obsession and/or cross into real life.

Morgan Williams

Can't believe you remember alternate vampire Willow saying bored now.

David Allan

I really enjoy listening to your predictions, and as I've said before I enjoy the way you dissect and talk and the episodes which always throws light on aspects that I never thought about and I've watched the show several times since it aired. Also on the Willow story line, I really enjoy when shows just throw on lots of chaos on it's characters, and i think this series really needed a big messy chaotic arc to head towards. Watching it this time I did feel that Warren shooting Buffy and Tara just comes out of nowhere, I had somehow felt there was more of a build up to Buffy thwarting Warren more often, but "the trio" just come in and out of the show at various points, and they were more in the background to the scoobies. I like your fairy lights, it makes it feel Christmassy.

Douglas Robertson

I was on r/buffy yesterday and someone referred to BTVS as a weapon of mass emotional destruction. They made the comment after watching "the Body" but I think it applies to the last two episodes as well. Cass, do not go on that subreddit until you finished Buffy and Angel, there are massive spoilers.

JBK405

I told this same story a few weeks ago somewhere on Patreon -- I honestly don't remember if it was one of your videos or somewhere else -- but when I was a kid I once asked my father what he would do if I was ever murdered (I don't remember why I asked that). He gave it serious thought, and he said that he wouldn't automatically default to taking personal vengeance. He'd let The Law go through its process, and provided The Law caught and convicted the perpetrator he would accept the result even if it wasn't the strongest possible punishment. However, if The Law FAILED and the perpetrator got off on a technicality, then he would feel the need for personal vengeance. I understand Willow's desire for vengeance, and Warren sure as heck deserves whatever she can do to him. But the problem is that she never for a second allows the possibility of him getting punishment by any hands but her own. She doesn't even call the cops and tell them to look for him. HER being the one to get Warren matters more than the fact that he's gotten at all. Right now, Vengeance means more to her than Justice. That's why it's a tragedy when she goes through with killing him. Not because he doesn't deserve, but because of why she's doing it. I've never been a huge fan of the magic=drugs metaphor they used this season (For a whole host of reasons). But I wouldn't go so far as to call it "character assassination". I follow the logic of what they were going for, and it does all connect. So it's not how I would have preferred to explore Willow's dark side, but I can deal with it.

DanielOrme

The show's attitude about taking vengeance (as so well stated by Buffy. Even with Giles being absent, she has learned and internalized what he taught her. He would be proud!) reminds me of something written by the author James Baldwin on the subject. Paraphrasing (I can't find the exact quotation), he says that "when you take vengeance by killing someone, you think you are 'getting' them. but you're not. All you have is a dead body. So, in the end, it's them that's got you."

El

I also really liked Willow torturing Warren with the bullet, because I think a LOT of people like Warren view humans, especially women, as more or less disposable objects. He absolutely never considered Tara or Buffy or WIllow as real people with real value and real feelings, so in addition to the more direct, obvious meaning of Willow just torturing him and causing him physical pain, he really DID need to understand that it's not just a game. I also think that Willow wasn't planning on killing him right then and there, but panicked when Buffy, Xander, and Anya showed up. I think she wanted to torture him a lot longer and cause him a lot of pain, but she knew the others would try to stop her, so she just cut off that possibility.

DanielOrme

I can understand why you want to have more Clem in the show. Back when I used to write fan-fic, I would often include him in my stories. It was never essential to the plot. I just liked him. 😁

Gaius Frakking Baltar

In honor of the late great Tara Maclay, here's a short video of some Amber Benson bloopers & outtakes from BTVS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcd3zEIDLOE

Michael Labs

I have no opinion about the reaction set although I think the lights are pretty... this is Cass's set after all, and Cass needs to be happy with it. As to Willow; "Dark Willow" has now entered the chat. I was impressed that the "Bored Now" connection got made in this reaction and I consider this the most feared possible utterance in the Buffyverse coming from Willow since it came originally from a soulless version of her. Warren? Well, he got his... end of story. He could be a cautionary tale in living life in such a way as to be un-mourned. I was just fine in the idea that he suffered at the hands of Willow due to his watering the seeds of his own destruction for quite some time. The problem is Willow is not emotionally, mentally, or spiritually prepared to deal with this. There is some value in exploring and meditating on the darker aspects of ourselves, yet there is danger on a couple of fronts. One is sharing too much of our darker discoveries on the self. I learned the hard way that it can be a social "kiss of death" for too many outsiders (as in not-yourself or your therapist if you must) to have too much knowledge of your darkness. Another is the very discoveries produced by "mindfulness" or "self-awareness" meditation are not always good and can be painful. The value is having the knowledge of our dark halves and the trigger points that are likely. Dwelling too often on it is, understandably, not recommended. We all have loved ones (I presume anyway and if incorrect, my deepest apologies). There are a couple in my life that if something bad enough happened I am resolved beforehand to act. I will share nothing else on that topic. On a (lighter?) note, I think we're going to have a hell of a ride to the season six conclusion. Cheer and goodwill to all who deserve it.

spikeysnack

What I like from Allison's performance is that after her initially outbursts of grief and explosion of anger at Osiris, she emotionally shut down, stuffed that pain straight down into the burning engine of hate and pain in her soul and then made "rational" decisions to not stop at anything to destroy the source of her pain. In the process she willingly internalized her self-hatred as well, so she could embrace the evil and its power as her own. Talking to her in that state was like talking to Professor Walsh about how you didn't get the homework done. She was not going to give in, not buying all the hope and light happy talk, all the "you can't do that, you're Willow!" from people. I like how this episode Buffy, Xander, and Dawn are playing catch up, not actually in a position to get in Willow's way of things, innefectual, just making sad noises at her, and it didn't work. The WarrenBot scene was delicious, and The Torture and Flaying of Warren Mears was so well acted and scripted, it was like they need something like that every episode. Not even Glory did that, only Adam was worse, and werewolf kills, that they never really showed. Something not too many people realize, because it is so fast, but Willow basically disapparated Warren to Hell. A lot of people assume she burned up his body, but nooooo, it was way worse than that.

ThePowerDrome
>>172816910

You probably haven't read the comics, but they explain what really happened to Warren.

Mrs. Peacock

I don’t think it makes you a bad person to revel in revenge on a TV show (well, I HOPE not because I reveled my ass off)! Let’s say it’s part of the beauty of TV and film to be able to explore emotions and situations that would be debilitating and/or “wrong” IRL. In any case, what a scene.

JOSE HOSANA CARVALHO DA FONSECA

I am sure every single fan was rooting for Willow when the show was aired and now. Warren got what he deserved.