Here is the Hellmouth Podcast for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, Season 2 Episodes 21 and 22 titled Becoming. (mp3 version here)

It is great to be back in the Hellmouth Empire. I missed all of you guys and am glad to be back with a new Hellmouth Podcast.

A big welcome to the newest member of the Hellmouth Crew David who has taken the Facebook page by storm and has huge plans for the Hellmouth Listener community.

The book review this week was for The Vision, Book One in the Green Stones of Healing Series by C.L. Talmadge.

Don’t forget to check out the Potential Cast a new Buffy podcast hosted by Stephanie who recently co-hosted the Hellmouth Podcast, as well as Alirio, Gabby and Kim. You can find their website here and find them in iTunes here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:17 — 17.5MB)

HMPC 0221-22 “Becoming”  – Buffy

The Vampire Slayer

• Welcome to the Hellmouth Podcast for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer Series, Season 2 Episode 21 & 22 titled “Becoming” the season finale!!
• I want to quickly remind everyone about all of the ways that you can be a part of the Hellmouth Podcast.
  • as always you can email me at hellmouthpodcast@gmail.com
  • Twitter @hellmouthcast
  • or head on over to the hellmouth podcast blog at www.hellmouthpodcast.com an check out the contact info page for more details.
  • Facebook – I am happy to introduce a new member of the Hellmouth Empire, David. David, has joined the Hellmouth Podcast crew and as of 2 or 3 weeks ago has been in charge of the Facebook page.
    • Already he has been beefing up the facebook page with more information about the podcast and the show. He also has weekly questions. There are going to be contests and a bunch of other stuff taking place in the coming weeks.
    • If you haven’t checked out the facebook page yet, now is a great time to ‘like’ the page because David has some big things in store for all of you Facebook people.
    • I will still post on the facebook page but I will figure out a way to differentiate myself and David so that you know when it is me.
• iPhone App – Haven’t mentioned it in a while but if you are new to the Hellmouth Podcast, there is an iPhone app that allows you to listen to the podcast streaming and also gives you access to the special news segment of the hellmouth podcast that is only for those with the app. It can be purchased on your iphone or ipod touch. There is no news segment this week, I am saving it for next week when I do the season 2 recap episode so be looking for that.
• The book review this week is for a book called The Vision, written by C. L. Talmadge. It is the first book in a series called the Green Stones of Healing.
• One last thing before we get into the Season 2 finale and that is a new Buffy podcast that has recently started. The potentialcast.
• So now the moment that you have been waiting over a month for ladies and gentlemen let’s get to the season 2 finale episode recap finally, shall we
• Here it is the two part becoming series finale in 3 minutes or less…
  • Liam sees Darla in a dark alley and they share a romantic kiss
  • Buffy fighting in a cemetery is trying to send a message to Angel that she’s done waiting.
  • But there is another impending doom looming over Buffy, finals.
  • Giles has been asked to consult on a dig finding, a big brick. But Giles senses there is something different about this brick.
  • Buffy may not be ready for finals but she tells the Scoobies she is definitely ready to fight and stake Angel.
  • We get a glimps of Drusilla pre-vampire. She is in confession pleading with the priest to help her. She doesn’t want to be evil.
  • Unbeknownst to her, but knownst to us for you spaceballs fans, Drusilla is actually confessing to Angelus explains to her that she is a child of the devil and is destined to be evil for eternity.
  • In the present day we see Drusilla in all her crazy vampire glory having a vision about a huge brick that is going to bring death and destruction to Sunnydale. Not your typical lot’s of death “bummer” type mayhem but full on world ending drama.
  • While studying with Willow, Buffy stumbles across Jenny Calendar’s translation of the Spell of Restoration which will save Angel.
  • Next we get a glimpse of the Kalderash Gypsie clan from whence Gypsy spy tramp Jenny Calendar was born. We see the original curse being performed which gave Angelus back his soul. Creepiness.
  • Buffy and the Scoobies are reeling from the news that there may be a chance to save Angel, all except for Xander who still thinks he should die.
  • Once again Xander is the one willing to say the awful harsh truth that makes everyone uncomfortable, a role that he borrows from time to time from Cordelia.
  • “You can paint this any way you want. But the way I see it is that you wanna forget all about Ms. Calendar’s murder so you can get your boyfriend back.”
  • Drusilla and Angelus steal the big brick in order to help bring about the end of the world.
  • Buffy is off poubting about Xander’s estute observations and KAPOWWW Kendra jumps out of the bushes, she’s back in town to help with the ‘dark power about to rise in Sunnydale’
  • Turns out inside this brick is Acathla who will suck the entire world or universe into a hell dimension. Bummer!
  • Only way to stop him is to stab him with a blade blessed by the knight who first slew Acathla! Holy Sharpened Swords Batman!
  • Next we flashback to Angel in Manhattan, 1996. He’s a bum but he is taken in by Whistler who helps him become a better man and gives him his first glimpse and the new slayer on the block, a young lady named Buffy Summers.
  • Next we get probably the most concrete reference to the original movie in the entire Buffy series. It is short lived but shows Buffy and her first days as a slayer.
  • Angelus can’t make the Acathla ritual work so he sends Buffy a flaming telegram to lure her out of the school.
  • Willow attempts to perform the ritual that will restore Angel’s soul.
  • While Angelus and Buffy fight, Drusilla and her minions sneak into the library, kill Kendra, break Xander’s wrist, knock Willow unconscious and kidnap Giles. Not bad for a nights work.
  • Buffy shows up at the library to see the carnage about the same time that the cops do but Buffy doesn’t have time to stick around.
  • Snyder expels her from school.
  • Angelus and Drusilla torture Giles into revealing how to make the Acathla ritual work by showing him visions of Jenny dancing in his head.
  • Spike decides that this is his opportunity to remove Angelus from the complex love triangle involving Drusilla.
  • He agrees to help Buffy stop Angelus in return for amnesty and a witness protection program.
  • Joyce, Buffy’s mom, sees her stake a vampire right in front of her and finally Joyce is faced with the truth. Her daughter is a vampire slayer.
  • In the hospital, Willow wants to try the ritual again.
  • Buffy leaves to save Giles and stop Angelus, her mom tells her if she leaves, she better stay gone.
  • Xander and Buffy go to free Giles and stop the vampires while Willow continues to perform the ritual.
  • Buffy fights Angelus, Spike knocks out Drusilla and leaves, Xander saves Giles.
  • Big, big sword fight. Hijinks Ensue.
  • The Acathla brick has been opened and inside is Shrek!? Shrek gets like a hoover and starts to suck in the universe.
  • Just before Buffy kills Angelus, Willow’s ritual works and Angelus becomes Angel once more.
  • With no other option Buffy kisses Angel, tells him she loves him and then stabs Angel through and pierces Shrek/Acathla as well.
  • The world is saved and Angel is sucked into the hell dimension.
  • Buffy with nothing left, leaves town to try and figure out how to put her life back together and walks away from Sunnydale and the Scoobies.
  • End Episode.

• The two part season finale is called “Becoming” and as I watched the episodes I started thinking about that… Becoming
• Who is Angel Becoming?
  • We see Angelus and the original curse that restored his soul.
  • We see a lot of how Angel became Angel, after he had his soul restored, these episodes show us the path that he took to become the champion to coin the term from Angel the series that he is now.
  • As part of that storyline we are introduced to Whistler.
• Who is Joyce becoming?
  • I actually really liked Joyce in this episode. Joyce goes through an awful lot in a short period of time.
  • Joyce hears from the police that Buffy killed a girl
  • Find out that Buffy is the Slayer in a very abrupt way.
  • Her reaction to Buffy being the Slayer is actually pretty remarkable. I think the important thing to take away from this is that her mom believes her.
  • Tells Buffy, if she leaves not to come back.
  • Joyce has it rough in this episode and she has become something much more than she was at the beginning of this episode.
  • She is the mother of the Slayer, she is no longer in the dark or ignorant about the evil in the world around her or Buffy’s role in that world in that evil and this is one of those iconic moments in the series.
• Who is Spike becoming?
  • Spike has taken a pretty significant step in this episode in betraying Drusilla and Angelus and striking a bargain with Buffy.
  • Spike agrees to help Buffy stop Angelus and his plans to end the world in exchange he and Drusilla live and they leave Sunnydale forever.
  • he is also at this point willing to do anything to win Drusilla back and have Angelus out of the picture.
• Who is Xander becoming?
  • Once again, Xander is in my opinion the inner strength and the voice of the people in this episode.
  • He saves Cordelia when they are attacked and helps keep the others alive.
  • He is the first at the hospital with Willow
  • He is the voice of the people in this episode in the way he talks to Buffy and the other Scoobies about how Angelus needs to die.
  • He even lies to Buffy about Willow’s attempts to perform the ritual a second time to save Angel and just tells Buffy to kick his ass.
  • Runs into a vampire nest in the mansion to help save Giles.
• Who is Willow becoming?
  • Willow opens a magical door that can’t be closed, according to Giles
  • Performs the ritual to restore Angel’s soul and begins to speak in latin.
  • There is a significant change that takes place in Willow here, she has become a witch.
  • And of course the ritual works and Angel’s soul is restored but she won’t know this until a few episodes into season 3.
• Who is Buffy becoming?
  • Then we reach that moment when Buffy watches as the ritual works, Angel’s soul is restored and Buffy realizes that she finally has what she wants. She has Angel back.
  • Then she kills him.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer did not save the world from Acathla, Buffy the Vampire Slayer did not defeat Angelus and kill Angel.
  • Buffy Summers did.
• Because for Buffy This finale is about becoming and in a lot of ways about loss.
  • What has Buffy lost in this episode?
  • Her home, her mom, her school, her love, a bit of herself.
  • Buffy kills Angel to stop the end of the world. In the process I think a part of Buffy will never be the same.
• There are a lot of things that happen in this finale that has long term effects and there are some core pieces of the Buffy cannon that are brought up in this episode.
  • Spike works with Buffy toward a common goal.
  • Kendra dies, allowing for the calling of Faith to be a slayer.
  • Angel is sent to a hell dimension after being killed by Buffy.
  • Joyce finds out that Buffy is the slayer.
  • Willow opens the door to true witchcraft.
  • We get our second reference to the Mayor when Snyder expels Buffy and the calls to tell the Mayor the good news.
• End Episode.
• Rate the episode
  • Bonus point Willow becomes a witch
  • Bonus point because we get to see EVERYONE in this episode good guys and bad guys.
  • 2 bonus points for all the series significant events in this episode that we discussed earlier.
  • Lose a point for the Kendra plotline. Kendra shows up
    • Was Kendra really necessary in this episode?
    • Kendra seemed to me like she was treated as collateral damage.
    • One thing about Kendra being in this episode is that it sets up the arrival of Faith in season 3 so Justin was glad to see Kendra die.
  • Bonus point for Drusilla in this episode
    • See a different side of Drusilla, a very powerful side
    • See one of Drusilla’s powers (hypnosis) that we haven’t seen in any other vampires.
  • Bonus point for that scene where Angelus is turned to Angel again and Buffy kills him, it still breaks my heart after all the times I have seen the series.
  • For me the finale starts at an 8 and the net score is 13 points for this episode.
• Thanks to everyone for tuning into another episode of the Hellmouth Podcast.
  • Remember www.hellmouthpodcast.com
  • hellmouthpodcast@gmail.com
  • See you guys next time for the Season 2 Recap episode, It’s great to be back in the Hellmouth Empire, Stay Classy Sunnydale.

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