Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Hyena Kids

Some of the oldest looking teenagers I've ever seen are possessed by hyenas in a season one episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer called "The Pack". Two guys and two girls, plus Xander. The blonde girl looks young enough but the brunette with the boy cut looks like she established herself as a dentist after completing five years of university three years ago.

The contrast especially sharp beside Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan who both look like little chipmunks. Their clothes are oddly generic, too. They're like the bullies in a Mentos commercial.

They all become assholes and eat a pig. Xander is fortunately distracted, trying to make out with Buffy, while the others eat the principal. That must have been a real sign to viewers when it first aired that there was something different about this show. Not too many innocent teen adventure shows in the '90s were killing off major characters in the first season, let alone so extravagantly. It's definitely the high point of the episode.

Poor Willow being humiliated by Xander is pretty harsh, too, though she ultimately just shrugs it off. I know she knows he's possessed but I feel like it could've led to some interesting soul searching.

I like the library as the gang's bridge/headquarters. Buffy had an inverse evolution to Angel of headquarters for its characters: Buffy's grew steadily less interesting until finally they were meeting at Buffy's house while Angel's was perfected in season two after a boring office in season one. I really loved that hotel.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available in a lousy cropped format on Amazon Prime.

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