I think in the midst of being angry and horrified that Buffy was possibly going to pull the same thing all over again, Joyce was trying to communicate how much she'd been through existing in that limbo for three months and how much it seemed like Buffy was punishing her for some words spoken in desperation and anger.

Yep, that totally nails it, I think. Also, I always find myself coming down on Joyce's side partly because I flash back to the scene in the montage at the end of Becoming II where she finds Buffy's letter. So sad.

I'm curious, what are some moments that still affect people from more minor episodes like DMP? Things that you've watched five times that still make you laugh hysterically or yell at the TV or hide behind the sofa.

I recently rewatched Inca Mommy Girl, and I still have a really strong reaction to Xander's jerky behaviour toward Willow at the dance. I hate his reaction to her costume, and I hate when he's mean to her for shrugging. "Well, next time you should probably say 'shrug'." Shut up, jerky jerkface. Of course, it just highlights the wonderfulness of Oz.

basically did just that for three freaking months, long past the point of where anger or even a belief that her mother really meant those words would take the average teenager.

Eh. I don't know. I never did come back, and in fact, still have trouble asking for anything from my mom. We're friends now, and I can see where she was coming from, but I took it deadly seriously and never came home.

I don't think Buffy left town just because of what Joyce said. Had it just been that she may have stayed in town, but left the house. There were so many other horrible things going on that Buffy just wanted to disappear, not just leave her mother. And she nearly got what she wanted in Anne.

I'm curious, what are some moments that still affect people from more minor episodes like DMP?

I know there are heaps, but I'm suffering an extreme memfault at the moment. Xander and Willow's dreamscapes in Restless always make me tear up (and okay, not really a 'minor' episode, but Joss is always saying in interviews about the mixed reaction he got about it, and since it's my absolute favourite Buffy episode...)

Shut up, jerky jerkface.

Is it weird that I miss Xander being a jerk? He lost a lot of his bitterness in later seasons, which y'know good for the character, but it made him less interesting, I thought. The leaving-at-the-altar thing was prime jerk behaviour, though, so maybe he didn't get over it completely.

I don't think Buffy left town just because of what Joyce said.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that. What I meant was from Joyce's perspective, it couldn't help but feel like that's exactly what made Buffy skip town, and that I understand her anger at Buffy because she not only 'got out', she disappeared off the face of the earth for three months. If I was Joyce, knowing only what she knew about the circumstances, I'd be pissed too, especially if I found my daughter planning to run-off again a week after she turned up out of the blue on my doorstep. Obviously, she shouldn't have given that ultimatum in the first place, but her anger at Buffy in that scene didn't seem unjustified to me, given the circumstances.

I'm curious, what are some moments that still affect people from more minor episodes like DMP? Things that you've watched five times that still make you laugh hysterically or yell at the TV or hide behind the sofa.

Not Buffy, but pretty much the whole opening party scene in SHE on Angel is priceless. "Diego, pants on!"; "What mad genius invented these?"; " I don't dance"; "Still dead? I know the feeling."

It's a shame the rest of episode is pretty much worthless.

What about "Happy Anniversary"????

What about "Happy Anniversary"????

Um, what about it? Lots of nice interactions between Angel and Lorne. Lame main story, but I liked physics nerd girl and was sorry she never showed up again.

I'm curious, what are some moments that still affect people from more minor episodes like DMP?

One of my favorite minor moments from a minor episode by tina f.

Faith, Hope & Trick
In the hallway, Buffy tells Giles that Faith has a three. But the moment I love is a second later when he goes off on a tangent about the Watcher's retreat ("All right. I'll see if I can reach her Watcher at the retreat. They're eight hours ahead now. I guess they're probably sitting down to a nightcap. I wonder if they still kayak. I used to love a good kayak. You see, t-they don't even consider..."). Buffy walks off screen and then turns around, comes back and gives him the ultimate look of frustration and he comes back to the topic at hand "Sorry. I digress."

No matter how many times I have seen that episode and despite how many good moments there are in it - that's my favorite. I love the second of rare "insight into Giles," and how much it shows how alike Giles and Buffy can be (easily distracted and memememe), the role reversal of it all... And it is excellently punctuated by SMG leaving the screen for just a second then coming back into the same shot.

Emotionally, one of my favorite minor moments is (prepare to be shmooped): Buffy wiping Spike's face off in the basement after he bit Andrew in Never Leave Me and he asks if he hurt anybody. ("You took a good bite out of Andrew." "Who?" "Tucker's brother." "Oh.") Much more so for me than the "I believe in you" a few moments later, I think this is a moment that shows how different Buffy's relationship with Spike is from anything else. He is chained up and she is carefully wiping somebody's blood off his face. I like it.

What about "Happy Anniversary"????

Um, what about it? Lots of nice interactions between Angel and Lorne.

And wasn't that the "leather pants" shout-out ep? t /fangirl

And wasn't that the "leather pants" shout-out ep?

I thought that was in Epiphany, when Angel goes to Lorne after leaving Darla?

And wasn't that the "leather pants" shout-out ep?

I thought that was in Epiphany, when Angel goes to Lorne after leaving Darla?

I honestly can't remember.