GeekedOutNation patreon

Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Tabula Rasa" 6x8 Reaction

🕑 Added 2021-02-08 04:13:39 +0000 UTC

Comments

Leora Nechama

One of my favorite episodes of the show. It's so much fun and also emotional/moving the story along. I feel so bad for Tara and I love that she said what she said. Willow messed with her mind after seeing how violated she was when Glory did the same thing. I know some people disagree but for me when they "had sex" during Under Your Spell in the last episode it's 100% rape. Tara is literally under a spell that basically worked like a date rape drug to make her more compliant by making her forget why to say no. Before last episode Tara said to Willow pretty much "I can't be with you while you're addicted to magic like this. I'm scared of you right now." And she loves her but her condition for feeling safe and being intimate/romantic with Willow is that Willow be clean so to speak. Willows spell took away Tara's ability to make informed consent by taking away her memories of her setting boundaries and saying I can't be with you like this. This is when I start to really not be able to like Willow as much as I loved her in early seasons. I know she's technically addicted to magic, but she raped Tara who only ever trusted her and even if you disagree with the physical definition of rape, she violated her mind after Glory did last season no matter what her intentions were. Also feel bad seeing Dawn pull away from Tara at the end because if you think of it, while Buffy was dead, Willow and Tara were pretty much Dawn's moms. I love how this episode can be so hilarious and also deal with the heavy stuff.

Grace

It's a 10 for sure :D Thank you! A wonderful reaction / review. Awesome.

Fighter seVen'eiGht

As far as the open magic use goes, remember that this is Sunnydale; everyone is pretty much used to the occult happening openly. Buffy's senior class gave her an award for slaying demons and vampires. They really only need to hide their powers from people who aren't from Sunnydale. The only thing that some longtime fans of the series always wondered is why anyone would stay in that town. Some theories were that property values had tanked so much since the Hellmouth opened that noone could afford to move since they could hardly pay back what they owed on their mortgages since noone would ever pay them what they paid for their property in the first place so residents were essentially trapped in Sunnydale for generations. To sum it all up everyone probably remembered and saw what Willow and Amy were doing but simply shrugged it off like they did with everything else that happens. The only reason they tried to burn the witches at the stake in the first place was because they were all under a spell I think. Even Joyce was down for it.

cs

This was such a great reaction! I loved that you didn't talk much and just absorbed it all. Your enjoyment of it was obvious, and really fun to watch.

Sharon Owen

I absolutely loved this episode. Your reaction to Michelle Branch's song as well is great. I love that song and every time I hear it I'm reminded of this episode.

TheMew

With Spike and Buffy right now it's not that Buffy likes Spike per say she may be physically attracted to him. With Spike he loves her(as much as a non-souled Vamp in his own selfish way can) but with Buffy right at this moment what is can be explained by the lyrics in the I touched the Fire song that she sings again right at the end of the musical where she says "I just want to feel." So she just wants to feel something even if it might be the most healthy thing for her.

TheMew

"A Vampire with a soul. how lame is that."

TheMew

"Time is what turns kittens into cats." lol classic. Maybe it's just me and my dumb sense of humor but I've always loved that line.

TheMew

Tabula Rasa and Once More are two of my favorites of the series.

TheMew

just far enough. lol

SpikesEcho

Agreed! Depression plus some complex PTSD, Id wager. I've had it myself. Yeah, I don't think we're meant to believe there's a romance brewing right now with Buffy/Spike, not with her clearly preoccupied and subject to her depression. She's groping her way (no pun intended!) through trying to bear existence at the mo

Shauni Livingstone

Glory was the big bad of last season. Life is this season.

Andrea

This is, for my money, the funniest episode of the series. And then it turns into such a gut punch at the end. That alone makes it one of my faves. Between this episode and the last one, two 10's in a row for me too! And yes, I'd say there's a name for what Buffy's going through, and it's depression. Her whole arc this season is one giant metaphor for it - "Life" is the Big Bad. She's not engaging with the world around her anymore, which is why she's not handling any of their problems with Dawn herself, and why Giles feels he needs to go, because he's just enabling this. And this thing with Spike, I think for her it's just a distraction and attempt at feeling something. For him it's obviously more, but I'd never say we're meant to believe she's in love with him.

Marshall Dante Robertson

I remember this episode so vividly, seeing as though I first saw this as an impressionable 10 year old. I remember being so impressed with the way it was simultaneously the funniest AND the saddest thing I've ever seen. Looking back, it absolutely made me want to become a screenwriter. This show also influenced and expanded my musical palette. I got into alternative music heavily because of this series, and I remember jamming out to not just "Goodbye To You", but to her other hits "All You Wanted" and "Everywhere" every time they would come on the radio. Nothing but good memories attached to this episode! 😀

Mo

I think you are on the right track with Spike and Buffy. I also agree with you about willow and how the show is treating her and her magic. I really enjoy this episode. Lots of humor and a sad ending.

SpikesEcho

People go nuts for this episode....it's never been a favorite of mine tho. It's well done, definitely, but I tend to forget it exists lol. Like, "oh yeah, the one after the musical".

Alexandra parr

No big bad in season 5? Glorificas would not be happy with you. This episode 100% deserves a 10 though. Imo this whole season is so underrated.

Hemdian

I really like this episode ... but maybe the "loan shark" was a joke too far.

J Scott Page

Tabula Rasa is a Latin term meaning “clean slate”. And this is easily a 10 for me. Another fun episode that also manages to propel the story forward and hit all the right notes. The last episode and this episode are 2 I always look forward to seeing reactors get to. And it’s great that they’re back to back.

Corey

There's a bar I use to go to and one of the drinks on the menu was called "Ready Randy, Ready Joan" :)

Nikita Pascari

James Marsters said in a interview or comiccon panel "People used to come up to me and say 'Great performance last night!', as soon as I kissed Sarah it became 'TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF WOOO!!'"

Kelly Walker

“I think I’m kinda gay,” is a callback quote to Doppelgängland where Willow says the same thing about Vamp Willow. Also one of my favorite eps. I still wish Buffy had had an excuse to jump over the loan shark. Since so many were saying (before it even aired) that by having a musical episode the show had “jumped the shark”. Never mind that you can’t say that until looking backwards. Still when I saw the shark show up I hoped for a jump to make fun of the predictions.

Ray D

I liked that Michele Branch song from back when it was on the radio way before I every saw Buffy. It’s such a great song on its own but it fits the end of this episode so perfectly that now I can’t hear it without thinking of this. I think that this episode is one of the perfect examples of what this show does so well and that’s balance wildly different tons and do it so well. This is one of the funnies episodes of the whole show run and yet it can just flip and have that amazingly heartbreaking ending and it all works together and doesn’t feel forced at all. So good. I don’t think there is any problem with giving this one a 10. There are a lot of buffy fans that consider this and the musical as the best 2 episode stretch of all 7 seasons.

Vicky N

A 10 of course. I even like the loan shark. Absurd but so funny. Too many good things and quotable moments, especially from Spike.

Harriet Loughnan

Genuinely one of my favourite Buffy episodes. Having this back to back with the musical is just perfection. And I loved seeing you grooving to the song at the end. That whole musical sequence has always stuck with me - no matter how on-the-nose the song choice is 😂.

electricroad

Also this episode is a 10 for me - hilarious and devastating!

electricroad

Some of your observations are so spot on, and you see down the line of the where the writers are going with a lot of storylines - I love to watch reactors who just "get it", especially with a show this complex.

Meredith

Man Joss just knows how to weave humor and soul crushing heartbreak so perfectly.

John-Eric Cervini

This is such a fun episode. It was actually subtly referenced in Xander's dream in season 4's finale Restless. When they're in the park, and Giles and Spike are swinging on the swing set, Spike's dressed in the same suit as he is in this. He tells Xander that Giles is teaching him to be a Watcher and Giles replies "Spike's like a son to me." Xander talks about having to keep moving forward with Buffy saying "Like a shark" Xander replies "Only on land with less fins." The shark in question being the bad guy in this episode which would, be a loan shark. Who is an actual shark.