Here is the Hellmouth Podcast for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Series, Season 3 Episode 5 – Homecoming. (mp3 version here)

Be sure to check out the Slayerage podcast, a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer podcast at slayerage.com.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:11 — 16.1MB)

HMPC 0305 “Homecoming”  – Buffy The Vampire Slayer

• Hello Sunnydale and welcome to the Hellmouth Podcast for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer Series, Season 3 Episode 05 titled “Homecoming”
• There are a bunch of different ways that you can be a part of the Hellmouth Podcast, head over to the website at hellmouthpodcast.com and click on the contact info page to get connected to the show.
• This episode of the podcast was scheduled to have a news segment but I have to be honest you guys I looked at a lot of articles and there was nothing really newsworthy lately about the Whedonverse, at least nothing that I could find so we will try again next week.
• Podcast Promo – Slayerage podcast
  • You can find the slayerage podcast in iTunes or at slayerage.com, be sure to check it out.
• So let’s get to the episode recap finally, shall we here is your two-minute Buffy
  • The Scoobies decide to rent a limo to go to prom, they are all going to chip in, even Buffy and the boyfriend who must not be named.
  • Buffy goes to check on Angel who has re-mastered the human language but is still feeling the physical effects of his trip to the hell dimension.
  • After telling Angel that she has a solid guy now that she can depend on, the boyfriend who must not be named, dumps her and hellmouth podcast listeners around the world rejoice as we see the end of the discussions about well, you know.
  • He’s back and badder than ever, Mr. Trick is organizing Slayerfest where for a small fee, contestants can sign up to take their shot at killing the sunnydale slayer duo of Faith and Buffy. Reality TV at its finest.
  • The deputy mayor informs Mayor Wilkins about the plot to kill the slayers.
  • Cordelia has begun her campaign for Prom Queen and the take no prisoners attitude is in full effect.
  • Faith tries to help Buffy through her breakup with promises of dancing and casual sex at the prom.
  • Buffy is furious at Cordelia for not telling her about yearbook pictures and vows to snatch the prom queen tiara out of her hands.
  • We have now reached one of the most painful moments in the series, the beginning of the Xander/Willow debacle one little clothing fluke and things go to hell.
  • Buffy tries to mount a counter offensive to Cordelia’s prom attack, only to find herself alone as the rest of the Scoobies have already aligned themselves with Cordelia.
  • The battle for prom queen rages on as the two try to outdo each other in their efforts to secure votes for the prom queen.
  • The Scoobies leave Cordelia and Buffy alone in the limo to work out their issues on the way to prom.
  • The heart to heart talk will have to wait however because Buffy and Cordelia find themselves in the middle of Slayerfest.
  • Buffy manages to piss off Cordelia enough that the two of them survive one onslaught after another until finally they arrive at the prom to find that the prom queen tiara will be shared by the other two nominees.
• End Episode.
• Mr. Trick – Slayerfest
  • In this episode we get to see more of Mr. Trick. When Ryan was co-hosting with me on the podcast, we talked quite a bit about Mr. Trick and why he was such a cool character. More specifically what was different about Mr. Trick.
  • What made him a more dangerous vampire than your garden variety vampire was that he is a modern vampire. I think one of the most classic examples of that is Slayerfest.
• We saw his interaction with the Deputy Mayor, I think his name was Allen and we start to get a feel for his hatred of germs, he is a bit of a clean freak.
• Angel is getting back to normal
  • In this episode we also get a little bit of screen time with Buffy and Angel. A couple of things I want to talk about here.
  • First, Angel seems to be getting back to normal. He is talking again, obviously he and Buffy have been seeing each other in that nebulous time that takes place between episodes that we don’t get to see.
  • Buffy makes the comment that she hasn’t told the others that Angel is back. I talked about how if Buffy had kept Angel a secret for a short time to get her mind around things then I would have been ok with that. But like I said, we get the impression that they have been seeing a lot of each other and she still hasn’t told anyone.
• So let’s talk about the prom queen battle.
  • I posed this question to the facebook fans this week because it was something that I had been thinking about a lot. If you had to choose who should win homecoming queen between Buffy and Cordelia, who would you choose.
• Another thing that I think is really sad in this episode is that Cordelia tells Buffy that she loves Xander.
• Now I will admit that in season 1, I really wanted Xander and Willow to get together, and I think I even talked about this in the podcast quite a bit in the beginning of season 1. But as season 1 progresses I really started to change my mind. I didn’t want Willow and Xander to be together because I thought Willow could do better, I thought that she deserved a guy who didn’t take her for granted.
  • That is why I was so happy when Oz and Willow got together.
  • Now Xander and Willow have this clothes fluke and kiss as they are trying on their clothes for prom.
  • Part of me feels like this is a case of both of them having that fleeting moment of the what could have been’s that moment of maybe the grass would be greener on the other side but regardless of the reason this is just infuriating to me. They both have someone who loves them, and they take advantage of that. The think that bugs me even more is that it is not just this one kiss, they go on to have this little fling behind everyone’s back.
• So Cordelia and Buffy escape Slayerfest, they somewhat patch things up, but more importantly, neither one of them wins the homecoming crown.
• Rate the episode
  • I really like this episode
  • Bonus point for Mr. Trick, Slayerfest, Cordelia and everything that is wonderful about Cordelia in this episode.
  • Bonus point because we get rid of a character that we have spent way too much time talking about in the last few shows.
  • Lose a point for the Xander/Willow Debacle
  • Bonus point for Faith being a friend in this episode.
  • Bonus point for Mayor Wilkins getting more screen time as we learn more tidbits about the Mayor
  • Bonus point for the moments between Buffy and Cordelia when they are fighting there way out of slayerfest and are hold up in that cabin, I didn’t really talk about it but there are a lot of funny moments there.
  • This episode starts at a 10 for me, after the bonus points we are at a 16 so a very strong episode, I think that puts this episode in the lead so far this season but that may not last long because of the episode coming up next week.
• Weekly Poll
• Well now it is time to pick a name for that new podcast. That’s right this weekly poll is going to run for 2 weeks to allow as many of you as possible to get a chance to vote. Here are the finalists for the Angel podcast name in random order.
  • Investigating Angel
  • The Second Front Podcast
  • Helping the Helpless Podcast
  • Puppet Cancer Podcast
  • Caritas Podcast
• Listener Emails
  • Dee – I would like to comment on Faith vs. Buffy. In your episode for “Faith, Hope and Trick” you and your guest were comparing and contrasting the two Slayers. I was thinking about that and, to me, I think the biggest difference is that Buffy is all about the outcome of what fighting brings, out of what slaying brings. She fights to save her family and friends, even the world. Faith, on the other hand, is all about the thrill of the fight itself. I don’t think she’s really concerned about the reason to fight. That’s probably the reason why it was so easy for her to switch sides – it doesn’t matter which side she is fighting for to enjoy the exhilaration of the fight. So, to Faith her job is still the same. Just wanted to share that with you.
  • Clifton – Really liked Firefly, Watched the first 8 episodes of season 1 Buffy. Then watched all of Season 5 Angel. That was when he was hooked and then went back to fill in all of the gaps.
  • Kayla – Hey Bryan! Just wanted to say thanks for the awesome podcast! I work in an office and am always looking for something to load onto my iPod to help me get through the day. I stumbled across the Hellmouth Podcast and absolutely love it. I watch at least a little Buffy just about everyday (haha, which is sad, I am fully aware), so it has been really fun listening to your take on episodes. There have been points when I have actually started laughing out loud and had to cough to cover it up so my coworkers wouldn’t decide I am totally crazy. Keep up the good work!
  • See you guys next time for an episode that usually finds it self in the top fave favorite episodes of a lot of Buffy fans, the episode titled “Band Candy”, Stay Classy Sunnydale.