Filed under: OpEd, Retro Squad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Standout Episodes, Episode Reviews

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

(S04E10) Well, it was a close call, with the top three candidates separated by two votes or less. So while I almost got to experience the Buffy musical experience with "Once More With Feeling," or the fifth season episode "The Body," it was instead the silent episode "Hush" that came out on top. Now, understand that this is by no means an intention to say that the entire series can be fully appreciated by one episode. In fact, I have every intention of watching the whole thing. Maybe I'll even give you guys season-by-season updates as I go along.

What I did learn from this is even several years after it's end, Buffy and Angel fans are as passionate today as they are about their favorite shows when they were on the air. And it makes me even more depressed at the poor treatment Whedon's other television masterpiece Firefly got at the hands of FOX. Maybe if it had been on UPN or The WB, it would have had a chance to develop as Whedon envisioned. But to the matter at hand. How does someone who's never seen a single episode of Buffy or Angel take an experience like "Hush?"

Continue reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Hush

 

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Filed under: OpEd, Retro Squad, Angel, Reality-Free

All-in-all, Angel was a good series, even though it kept reinventing itself each season. The set changes (Angel's original digs, the hotel, Wolfram and Hart), the cast changes, and the character changes (Fred to Ilyria) threw off my equilibrium, sometimes leaving me longing for the security of the previous season.

One of the hardest changes for me to take was the death of Doyle, who added so much heart and humor to season one. Even sadder was that the actor who played Doyle, Glenn Quinn, went on to die a tragic death in 2002.

Continue reading Doyle: Angel's quotable demon

 

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Filed under: TV on DVD, OpEd, Video, Web, Celebrities, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel

Technically it is Buffy/Angel week, but all things Whedon have a way of just melding together into one big stew. So it's a fortuitous bit of timing that a trailer for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was released this week. For those still unaware of just what Dr. Horrible is, I think it was summed up best by Nathan Fillion in a recent interview. It's about a super-villain (Neil Patrick Harris) who falls in love with a girl (Felicia Day), and the super-hero (Nathan Fillion) who blows it for him. The super-hero is kind of a dick. And... it's a musical. I think it could be very much more than that. More on that, and the new trailer, after the jump.

Continue reading Is Dr Horrible the One? - VIDEO

 

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Filed under: OpEd, Retro Squad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free

You know you love Buffy, but could you beat me in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer trivia contest? Nope, this is not a challenge, but I did challenge myself by taking some of the online trivia quizzes.

There are scads of Buffy and Angel trivia quizzes online, some totally lame, others a fun romp down Nostalgia Lane, still others so bizarre and obscure that you wonder about the mental health of the creators. I took 'em, I rated 'em, and now I'm sharing my thoughts with you.

Ultimate Buffy Trivia on Cool Quiz (1/5)
My apologies to Josh Spears, but this quiz was not very challenging. I got all of the questions right, as would just about any fair-weather fan (of which I am not!). It is a fun quiz to take if you love Oz, because many of the questions are about him, but it runs extremely slow and is relatively painful overall.

Continue reading Buffy online trivia quizzes rated by me

 

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Filed under: Retro Squad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free

Okay, I'm a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, but not a normal one. I've read all the comic books for both properties and seen the original movie that launched the phenomenon about three times over the years. And yet, for some reason I've never seen a full episode of either show.

When Buffy first came out, I lived in a city that didn't have The WB. And by the time it was available to me I was already several years behind, and I hate coming into the middle of something. Then, for whatever reason, it has remained on my "to do" list over the years.

So where does that leave me for the Retro Squad Buffy/Angel week? I want to participate, but in a way I'm a newbie to the show. So how about you guys tell me a good episode to immerse myself into the world of the Buffy-verse? In fact, maybe one from each show? I'm hearing from the Squad that 'Hush' is a good candidate.

Continue reading Wanted: Buffy/Angel episode(s) to watch

 

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Filed under: OpEd, Video, Retro Squad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free

Poor Buffy. You'd think that with a life-threatening job like Vampire Slayer, she'd at least get a break once a year, on her birthday. No such luck for Buffy, but great luck for the viewers; we get really meaningful episodes, with significance to both the story arc and insight to the characters' motivations. Buffy's birthday episodes have been some of the strongest of the series.

Season One
These is no birthday episode in season one, since the series began as a mid-season replacement.

Season Two, episode 13, "Surprise"
In this episode, the Scooby Gang throws a surprise party for Buffy, but that is only one minor surprise in an episode filled with significant surprises. We learn that Jenny Calendar is actually "Janna of the Kalderash Gypsies" and that her people were the ones who cursed Angel's soul. Oz gets his surprise when he finds out that vampires are real and that Buffy is the Slayer.

Continue reading Buffy's not-so-happy birthdays (part one) - VIDEO

 

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Filed under: OpEd, Retro Squad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Reality-Free

In honor of our Buffy/Angel week of Retro Squad, it's only fitting that I finally give some updates on what's going on with each series with respect to their continuation in comic-book form. I'll throw in a little 'Serenity: Better Days' for good measure.

Let me warn you right now that I'll be revealing quite a bit about each series below. So, if you haven't read them yet or want to wait to read the books for any plot points, stop reading now. I'll be writing about the entire series of each, not just the most recent.

First up, Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season Eight.

Continue reading TV in comics: Buffy, Angel and Firefly

 

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Filed under: Retro Squad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Reality-Free

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

When one of our favorite TV shows goes off the air, it can be devastating. However, many times, the cancellation is the birth of a spinoff. Sometimes it can be a great thing (Frasier) and sometimes not so much (AfterM*A*S*H). Here are some this month's spinoff ideas that I would love to see.

So you Think You're a Gentleman
Do you have the power to take away the ability of speech? Can you make it look like you're floating while walking? Are you one of the creepiest looking people in the world? Then you might be just what "The Gentlemen" are looking for. "The Gentlemen" from the Emmy winning Buffy episode 'Hush' are looking for a new member and you may be him. Please send in a videotape of yourself flashing your creepiest smile and detailing what makes you the only choice to be the next Gentleman. Hosted by Doug Jones

Continue reading Five Buffy/Angel spinoffs I would like to see

 

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Filed under: Programming, Angel, Reality-Free

OK, Angel fans, you've got another reason to celebrate, especially the week of June 23rd. As if it weren't enough that it is Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel week here at TV Squad's Retro Squad, we've just learned the news that season one of Angel will premiere on Hulu beginning on Monday, June 23rd.

Personally, I think it was really classy of Hulu to debut Angel to coincide with our Retro Squad Angel week. What? You think it was a lucky coincidence? That simply cannot be ...

Many of the best things in life have been serendipitous: Post-It Notes, ice cream cones, the Slinky. So I guess I can happily accept the debut of Angel on Hulu coinciding with TV Squad's Angel week being another fortuitous moment that benefits all of mankind.

 

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Filed under: Arrested Development, Site Announcements, Retro Squad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The X-Files, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Reality-Free, Cheers, Frasier, Six Feet Under, Star Trek: Original Series, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Super Friends, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, British TV, Private Eye Shows

The "big" shows are over, and now the typically low-key summer TV schedule begins. Oh sure, there are some real gems in there that are still airing or will start soon, but overall the excitement is nothing like the September-through-May period. Maybe people are ... gasp ... going outside to enjoy the sun?

It's been two years since we first delved into the world of Retro Squad, so we're back now with what we believe is a better format. Rather than pick a few shows and only review one season from each throughout the summer, we're doing theme/show weeks. These weeks will not only have standout episode reviews from any past season, but we'll have themed lists, Vs., interviews and videos. There are only so many weeks in the summer, so we can't cover all of your favorites, but I think there's something for just about everyone here. Check out the schedule below, after the jump.

Continue reading Retro Squad returns, new and improved

 

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