Sunnydale Nation: A Buffy Rewatch Podcast

This week we are going undercover on the swim team while we discuss “Go Fish”! We’re talking Buffy being the muscle that keeps teacher Willow from being bullied, that every time you feel the urge to be mean just sell a vegetable, the inherent conflict in the Willow (takes DARE very seriously) and Oz (wears a DARE shirt ironically) relationship, whether or not Giles hates Xander, and the hidden depths of Wentworth Miller. We wonder how Giles got away with locking the swim team in the library cage, cheer on evil Willow interrogating Jonathan, recall iconic Teen Wolf moments, and start all our conversations with “After the fall of the Soviet Union…” Quote of the week: What is that foulness? Note: Remember to submit any Season 2 questions to us by September 27! Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are being possessed by ghost lovers while we discuss “I Only Have Eyes for You”! We’re talking the blessed return of Snyder, John Hawkes(!!), Buffy and Angel having problems nobody has ever had before, the impending breakup of Spike and Dru, and creepy writer Scott and his obsession with getting a locker monster arm into the show. We accept that Snyder is indeed a truth-seeker, do the math on what percentage of the vampire trio has to be having a bad one at any given time for their dynamic to work, what Cordelia’s grandpa’s breath smells like, and Willow continuing to be an unpaid intern. Everybody woke up this morning and chose projection. Note: Remember to submit any Season 2 questions to us by September 27! Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are seeing death while overcoming a severe flu while we discuss “Killed by Death”! We’re talking burrito-ing Angel, whether Buffy’s uncomfortable pillow is what made her sick, that Giles/Joyce might be coming back from the dead, that the hospital really needs accessible visiting hours for vampires, and whether that invisible body is going to be rotting down there forever now. We make fun of Buffy’s disposable one-episode trauma backstory, really get into the eyeball stalks, enjoy some extraneous ADR lines, and realize that Cordelia isn’t mean, she’s just practicing radical honesty. Creepy Willie Garson, get out of here and back to White Collar from whence you came. Note: Remember to submit any Season 2 questions to us by September 27! Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are slipping back into the cool, cool waters of Scully Nation while we do a commentary track for the new I Want to Believe: Vrach Frankenshteyn director’s cut! We score a pretty big get inviting Chris Carter himself on to join us for a director’s commentary. We get some pretty exciting scoops about David Duchovny’s beard surgery, keeping all the actors in cages between takes, and the real reason he’s not involved in the Coogler X-Files reboot. We try to figure out what’s wrong with Chris Carter’s phone and why nobody is calling him back, get a little Season 12 tease, cheer on Ellen Bledsoe (of course), and mostly just wonder why they released a director’s cut where everything is still basically the same. Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are saying goodbye to beloved computer teachers while we discuss “Passion”! We’re talking how the voiceover would go in an X-Files style, why everyone is so chill about this Angelus situation, Drusilla flying the food airplane for Spike, Jenny emailing the ritual to Giles but he never checks so he doesn’t see it, and why the hell Joyce is buying citrus in California. Girl, utilize your contacts. We go off the rails quite a bit due to the heat in our recording room, debate whether Viggo Mortensen is Danish for a really long time, and discuss (in no particular order) The Shield ship fanvideos, Danish agricultural exports, Michael Chiklis’ career, and Viggo Mortensen’s Spanish accent. Listen, we don’t know what happened either. Note: We had some crackly audio issues in the last couple minutes we weren’t able to edit around, so bear with us through that, but if you are still listening to the end, you’re a real one anyway. Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are casting revenge love spells after we get dumped in “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”! We’re talking how Joyce has Tupperware rotating in a circle in her mind, whether Giles was sitting there the entire time while Buffy seduced Xander, that the basement is Xander and Cordelia’s special place, that Joyce is one step away from becoming Teena Mulder, and that sometimes you just have to run away about it. We wonder if Xander’s true home is the bus depot, laugh at the increasingly cartoonish threats to Rat Buffy, get repelled by Joyce and Ted’s pet names for each other, and put up a sign that says All Are Welcome EXCEPT Angelus. And if you need to comfort someone, just say the following words: “Dude. Way to get dumped!” It helps a lot. Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are discovering that our new crush might be a werewolf while we discuss “Phases”! We’re talking how fixing your crush’s shirt tag is a sign of love, that it’s passe to pretend to hate Twilight nowadays, the Walmart parking lot size of Makeout Lane, and an update on the locker room attack bet. It’s not looking good for one of us. We wonder why Oz’s parents have basement manacles at the ready, discuss whether a pile of raw meat is a good way to attract werewolves, and really enjoy Willow and Cordelia becoming friends. If in doubt, just say out loud to yourself: A werewolf in love. It really puts things in perspective. Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are losing our souls and tormenting our girlfriends while we discuss “Innocence” with special guests Courtney and Hannah from That Nostalgia Show! We’re talking all of Jenny’s backup uncles, Xander having a thought for maybe the first time ever, making sex noises in the sound booth, how iconic the rocket launcher scene is, and Giles being utterly oblivious about what happened last night between Buffy and Angel. We think Jenny should try doing minor inconveniences at Angel, hate on Joyce just a tiny bit more, enjoy Oz being wise beyond his years, and really enjoy how inconsequential The Judge is. Remember if your shitty uncle dies, make sure to steal his dorky hat! Please support our guests and check out That Nostalgia Show for more X-Files coverage! Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are making it to vampire base with our boyfriends while we discuss “Surprise”! We’re talking Benedict Jenny, that some members of the Scooby Gang are still eating the Ted cookies, Angel sent to the store to buy party hats, Spike and Dru getting a personalized “Live Laugh Love” sign for their condo, that we would never not recognize Brian Thompson and his powerful chin, and Jenny’s uncle’s weird hat. We appreciate Oz’s chill at discovering the existence of vampires, wonder if Angel might have more game than Mulder, wonder how many docks this damn town has, and propose Jenny and Angel going on an evil makeover montage. Who watches the Watcher? Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are raising evil offspring and avoiding cowboy vampires while we discuss “Bad Eggs”! We’re talking Willow having hormone fear, whether or not Spike would be a big Tweeter, that they should have let baby Ella into the writer’s room, if Tector Gorch is a name or not, whether Xander was hard-boiled as a kid, and bug slappy hands. We obsess over the logistics of the Sunnydale High security guard situation, save that Joyce Shrieking image to our personal files, talk a lot about omelets, and highlight some developments with the uncomfortable pillow situation. Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are trying to hide the fact that we hate our new stepfather while we discuss “Ted”! We’re talking being seduced by mini-pizzas, Angel spending a lot of time at the bowling alley, how Giles/Joyce is deader than Ted, lots of references to I.F.T. from Breaking Bad, and that this episode is really not a good look for Joyce. We laugh at Joyce putting away tons of Ted Tupperware, realize that there are actually consequences to killing someone, revive our Vince impression, and wonder if we too would sell out for tasty food. Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are performing a ritual to heal our evil girlfriend while we discuss “What’s My Line? Part 2”! We’re talking Slayer logistics, Kendra’s Watcher stuck at the airport picking up the luggage, the infinite Slayer loophole, whether there’s a Watcher group chat that Giles is not invited to, the “Any more ladies in the house?” club mix, and the vampire throuple’s history with sexy torture. We wonder if the assassins are going to be after Buffy forever now, reveal the real reason Oz dyed his hair, get confused about Angel’s on-again, off-again shirt, and watch Angel and Drusilla rotating slowly in the microwave. Just because Howie didn’t write this episode is not going to stop us from blaming everything on him. Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are being menaced by assassins and finding out we’re not the only Slayer while we discuss “What’s My Line? Part 1”! We’re talking being attacked by bad accents, our theory about why everyone is pissy in this episode, the “I like shrubs” checkbox, Buffy and Drusilla having a legendary Pout-Off, the dreaded Chiseler, and Angel pulling a Mulder and shouting “BUFFAY!” We think it’s cute that Spike and Drusilla paint each other’s nails, laugh at how Angel can’t bust out of a $10 padlock, point out that the dialect coach is probably the monster of the week, and celebrate the one and only Howie episode we’ll get this series. What exactly does it take to get power-freaked? Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are learning about our mentor’s seedy past while we discuss “The Dark Age”! We’re talking how messed up it is to target ethical vampires, Giles not enjoying being teased about first-edition books at all, how shocking it is for Giles to have a little tipple after work, Ethan and Buffy awkwardly going to the tattoo removal place together, and the glossy 8x10 photo that Giles keeps of himself. We talk about the importance of Sunnydale coroners checking that the bodies are still there, get sad about Giles and Jenny’s breakup, and want Ethan Rayne to pull Ripper out of Giles more often. Vampire MD coming to your TV this fall. Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are discovering that our childhood friends aren’t who we remember in “Lie to Me”! We’re talking Willow’s boy door in her bedroom, Giles’ love life continuing to get the way of slaying more than Buffy’s ever does, a Dracula Walmart greeter, Tim Roth from Lie to Me showing up and delighting us all like Gene Parmesan, and how Angel did one cool thing but nobody saw and nobody will believe him. We scare ourselves by wondering if Spike and Drusilla use therapy-speak with each other, wonder if Angel and Willow could be buds, worry about whether our micros are showing, and get a little turned around in Sunnydale’s endless back alley-warehouse area. I spy a lie! Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are becoming our costumes while we discuss “Halloween”! We’re talking Willow being the #1 Buffy/Angel shipper, the danger of redheads being magnetically opposed to each other, Spike hanging out with 8-year-old demons, how you can’t break the Halloween candy covenant and expect not to get attacked by children, how cute it is when Buffy clings to Cordelia, and we say hello to RIPPER?! Excuse me?! We repeat the phrase “become the mask” until it’s not funny anymore, reveal that Spirit Halloween is the true monster of this week, propose a Lie to Me bonus episode, and uncover a truly egregious goof. Lizard demon with mustache true MVP of this episode. Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are attending a frat party while we discuss “Reptile Boy”! We’re talking whether sad club music is a thing, Buffy and Xander braiding Willow’s hair, Cordelia’s terrifying man-catching laugh, how great Buffy is at pouting, and whether or not Angel knows how to read. At this point, evidence is inconclusive. We continue the saga of Cordelia somehow having a driver’s license, that the cold open girl simply has bad vibes, how vampire-friendly coffee could be made, and how important brewski time is after your cult rituals are done. We don’t appreciate Bookoo Babes guy’s attitude, but we do appreciate the phrase. Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are dating ancient mummies while we discuss “Inca Mummy Girl”! We’re talking being deafened by panflutes, how hilarious this Cultural Appropriation Party is, the introduction of Oz, troubling #xanderfamfacts, and a lot of Rectify for a while. We are approximately 40% of the total audience of that show, but you’re going to listen to it anyway! Giles does some arts and crafts, mummy arms come off in comical ways, a mashup of PT Barnum and John Waters shows up, we get a deafening “a normal life” echo chamber, and we follow up on the “redheads can’t date redheads” controversy now that further facts have come to life. Ever wondered about Danny Strong’s love life? We didn’t either, but that didn’t stop us from looking it up! Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are crawling through the ceiling during a hostage situation while we discuss “School Hard”! We’re talking how there should be other types of Slayers to help Buffy carry the load, get super excited about the return of the king (Howie Gordon), how much we love bad guys in love, and one of us really struggles to process the fact that Spike is English. We wonder how Angel, Spike, and Drusilla’s Anne Rice book club would go, cheer for Joyce having her moment, get very intrigued by certain Principal Snyder plot developments, and thank Spike for ridding us of the Anointed Boy once and for all. Let’s get chanty with the fellas! Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !

This week we are assembling a new girlfriend from scratch while we discuss “Some Assembly Required”! We’re talking The Chair’s relative place in the official Giles Love Interest rankings, that Angel is the kind of guy to wear a hair shirt, Cyber Giles’ slow start, that they really need an Angel Early Alert system, and strange new ways of one-sided podcasting. We get progress on the locker room bet, discover that Xander was born to jump up and hit the top of the door, feel bad for Giles getting made fun of by children, and continue to fail to come up with concrete information about Bruce Seth Green. Who is he… Send us an email at sunnydalenationpod@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram !