I want you to get a message to Angel for me. Tell him I’m done waiting. I’m taking the fight to him. You got that? Need me to write it down for ya?
Normally, this would be the space I’d be using to insert a pithy quote from this week’s episode and then wax poetic (or something like poetic) about the adventures of Buffy and her stalwart gang. Instead, in honor of reaching the end of season 2 ““ the two-parter “Becoming” (parts 1 and 2) ““ we’ve decided to host a liveblog rewatch of the episodes. “Becoming”(s) is a highlight in a show full of fantastic storytelling and long time fans know how important these 90 minutes are to the overall arc.
Next Wednesday, at 8p.m., we’ll open up a special open thread for everyone to comment on as we watch the show together. Buffy is available on Netflix instant streaming and Hulu if you don’t own the DVD set. Also, if you can’t or don’t want to stream, check your local public library for the Season 2 boxed set.
In current news, there are more Buffy cast members on TV this season than there have been since the show went off the air.*
Wednesday night, while flipping past channels, I saw a familiar and sort of unexpected face. Unsure of what I saw, I turned back, and yes, there he was, everyone’s favorite librarian and my second favorite Frank-N-Furter, Rupert Giles, back on television. Anthony Head is currently staring on Free Agents on NBC, Wednesday nights at 8:30.
Charisma Carpenter has made a career out of guest starring on other television shows, but she hasn’t seem to have earned a leading lady title. You might have seen her on Veronica Mars or Greek or Legend of the Seeker or CSI or Charmed. Upcoming, both Charisma and James Marsters are listed as guest stars for the October 21st episode of Supernatural, “Shut Up, Dr. Phil.”
Speaking of Spike, he’s been a much busier beaver than I realized. Apparently, he’s a recurring guest star on Hawaii 5-0, and was Brainiac on Smallville and had a role on Caprica. And how can anyone forget his Captain John Hart on Torchwood?
David Boreanaz famously left Buffy for the spin-off Angel, which capped its run back in 2004 and now survives in comics, just like Buffy. He’s since been getting steady work on Bones, which plenty of people seem to like and I just can’t be bothered to watch. Good for you, David Boreanaz. Good for you.
I was ready to leave Mr. Xander Harris off this list because I wasn’t aware of him acting in anything since Kitchen Confidential was canceled. But thanks to IMDB, I’ve since learned that he’s had recurring roles on both Criminal Minds and Private Practice, as well as a movie, Hard Love, currently in post-production.
All right, think back to the end of Buffy. Of the main cast, which one did you think would go on to huge television success? Buffy, right? I mean, I know you would have thought it would have been SMG. Who would have thought that Willow would end up on one of the most popular comedies on television while SMG mostly stayed out of the spotlight, putting out the occasional movie and retreating from Hollywood to raise her daughter? Not you, that’s who. Yet that’s exactly what happened. Two years after Buffy ended, our beloved Alyson Hannigan got cast as Lily on How I Met Your Mother. You might have also caught her opposite Charisma Carpenter on Veronica Mars. And she married Wesley Wyndam-Pryce!
The big news this year was Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return to network television on the show, Ringer. The show has been getting mixed reviews, mostly due to a stunningly bad pilot episode that featured some of the worst green screen effects I’ve ever seen, and while it seems to be improving, has not of this writing been picked up for a full season. SMG famously married the hot guy from She’s All That (did you know he’s now a writer for the WWE?!) and had a daughter, Charlotte. She also recently guest-starred on All My Children, the soap opera where she won an Emmy for portraying Erica Kane’s daughter, Kendall. She played an amnesia patient:
Gellar: “So I see vampires, that doesn’t make me crazy!”
Nurse: “No, vampires are very popular”¦”
Gellar: “I saw them before they were trendy!”
Oh, Sarah. Here’s hoping your show is a fantastic success. I’ve missed seeing you every week.
*As far as I can verify.
9 replies on “Ladyghosts of TV Past: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Where Are They Now?”
I really want Nicholas Brendan to do great stuff. I really, really do.
I feel like I’ve seen Alyson Hannigan on more things than just HIMYM. Â Like that shampoo commercial. Â But, like, shows too.
Oh, and there. Â Obligatory proof that I read what you write complete.
The force is strong in this one.
So too, is the pull of the darkside. I’m anxiously awaiting the outcome of her visit to the creepy weird swamp tree.
SMG was the the original Kendall on AMC! That’s where she was before uttering those fateful words, “Bye, bye, Pine Valley,” and moving to Sunnydale.
Yep! I was actually pretty tickled to know she made a guest appearance on the show again before it went off the air. Have you ever seen her acceptance speech at the Emmy’s for that role? She looks like a wee baby!
I have had the Ringer episodes sitting on my DVR for weeks now. I can’t bring myself to do it. SMG was my least favorite part of Buffy, as was DB on Angel. I want to support her because she IS BUFFY for goodness sakes, but it’s just not happening. Have you watched it? Should I do it?
I love Alyson Hannigan so much. My husband laughs at me because I CANNOT see her cry without bursting into tears. On HIMYM, on Buffy, nothing. If she starts to tear up, something in me triggers every single time and I start weeping. It is really weird.
I watched the Ringer pilot, and it was terrible. As your friend and co-worker, I strongly advise against it.
I agree with Selena — the Ringer pilot was just awful. I mean, awful. It was so bad I haven’t brought myself to watch the next two episodes, but all the critics say that the show has been improving. I’ll probably get around to watching them this weekend. I don’t know if it’s worth your time investment.