#passion of the nerd

[thepassionofthenerd]

Welcome to the super-edit of the Season One Buffy Guides. In honor of 'The Gift' incoming, we thought it would be fun to revisit the Season One videos. I…don't remember the videos being this short. For reference, this video that encompasses 12 episodes of the show, is only slightly longer than the ONE we did for 'Into the Woods.'

Quick refresher since it's been 10 years, I started this channel by making a video called 'Why You Should Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' And in it, I said I would provide a quick skip guide to help people get to what I considered "the good stuff" in the show. I never imagined that ten years later, I'd still be making that skip guide…only it would've become what the channel is today. How things have changed.

Just a reminder that, going forward, Patrons and YouTube members (via the Join button) will get early access to content as we complete it, while we aim to release new videos every few weeks here on YouTube. I am proud of the hard work Lani, Jack, and I have been doing to try and get the channel rebooted but we started this process with some pretty serious heifers to get through.

Next up: -Monday we’ll release the Season Five finale episode guide: The Gift. The script for which is done, recorded, and being edited now. -Our video covering the Pylea arc will be next. -If you’d like to support the channel and get early access, check out our Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/c/passionofthenerd.

Thanks for watching and for your support—exciting things ahead! ✨

[hartbreak-motel]

Cody Rhodes, The Final Boss, and the Buffyverse Soul Canon

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't anxious coming into Wrestlemania season. We're a week away from Elimination Chamber, and with the exception of Jey Uso vs Gunther, and Tiffany Stratton vs Charlotte - feuds that feel lukewarm at this point (there's still time for things to heat up, but we're off to a rocky start), there don't appear to be any meaningful setups for feuds or programs for the majority of the company's major players. The Royal Rumble was three weeks ago, and aside from the aforementioned exceptions, there has been little to no story progression. The clock is ticking.

John Cena, who kicked off his retirement tour earlier this year, hasn't been seen since the Rumble press conference. The same goes for Roman Reigns. CM Punk, after recently coming off the one of wrestling's hottest feuds with Drew Mcintyre and a woefully short feud with Seth Rollins, is currently without a dance partner. Despite coming off of a white hot 2024, Drew Mcintyre seems directionless, with rumours of proposed feuds between Damian Priest and L.A. Knight floating around. Seth Rollins, despite the gradual tease of a heel turn during his feud with Punk, seems to be operating in a liminal space. The women's division, with the exception of the ongoing "Who took out Jade Cargill?" saga, is completely devoid of storylines. Arguably, the most intriguing storyline over the past few weeks has been the developing blood feud between longtime friends and rivals, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn with Owen's inevitable betrayal of Zayn, taking him out of the ongoing feud he'd been having with Cody Rhodes. While the pivot to Owens vs Zayn will always make for compelling television, it leaves a blank canvas for the undisputed WWE champion.

Last night's segment between Cody Rhodes and The Rock felt like the first step towards building something. What that something is,is to be determined.

The prior year, these two characters stood in stark opposition. The Rock, the omnipotent Final Boss, who used his fame, influence, and position on the TKO Board of Directors to cement his family's legacy and prominence in the company, at the expense of the company's top stars and up and coming talent. Cody Rhodes was the valiant hero, who endured two consecutive Royal Rumble victories to earn his opportunity to dethrone Roman Reigns' four-year reign of terror, and to win the title that had eluded his family for generations. Their roles were well-defined.

Then their dynamic took a strange turn, post-Wrestlemania. The Rock's schedule reducing his presence to a couple of sporadic appearances throughout the year. A tense and akward exchange the night after Wrestlemania. The Rock making known his disapproval of the alliance between Cody and his cousin Roman at Bad Blood.

Then Raw had it's debut on Netflix. Gone was the tension between The Rock and Cody. There were jokes, smiles, tequila shots shared. The two of them acting as though The Rock's brutal assault on Rhodes nine months prior, had never happened. It was....strange to say the least and left many fans scratching their heads.

Last night we got some answers.

If I'm being honest, The Rock's explanation of his and Cody's offscreen budding friendship, felt contrived. Like the writer's justification for abandoning the story between these two characters. Then he invites Cody out to the ring and the tone begins to shift.

The Rock lays it on thick. He appeals to Cody. He tells him he's a great champion. He talks about how their moms now hang out. He talks about how they spent hours drinking and connecting with one another. He paints a nice picture of their similarities. How they're both girldads. Two sons of wrestling legends from prominent wrestling families, destined for greatness. He tells Cody that he sees him as a  brother.

Then the saccharine facade begins to slip and The Final Boss rears his ugly head. As he's laying on the praise and adulation, he needs to remind Cody of the distance between the two of them. He needs to remind Cody that he is the most powerful entity in WWE and that he controls everything. How Cody's millions of followers pale in comparison to his half a billion followers.

It's in that moment that The Final Boss makes Cody an offer. He can make Cody's wildest dreams come true. He can elevate Cody's success to new heights. He can secure his legacy, guaranteeing food on his family's table for generations to come. He'll give Cody everything in exchange for one thing.

"I want your soul."

That line made my ears perk up. We know that accepting The Rock's proposition would require Cody to turn heel and become his corporate champion.

But what exactly would it mean for Cody to give up his soul?

Right now, I'm currently in the midst of my annual rewatch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I couldn't help but return to one of the show's core themes: the concept of the Soul as a symbol of morality and personal growth. When a human in the Buffyverse gets turned into a vampire, they lose their soul, and subsequently the ability to make ethical choices. This isn't to say that vampires don't maintain vestiges of their humanity. They can experience anger, jealousy, affection, and even love. But without the ability to make ethical choices and empathize with others, vampires are stripped of their agency.  Slaves to their own selfish desires and bloodlust. As the show itself serves as an allegory for growing up, what better an antagonist than something that is both physically and emotionally incapable of growth?

This isn't to say that characters in Buffy who have souls are always willing to the right thing. Having a soul only means having the ability to make ethical choices - it doesn't guarantee that these characters will do so. There are several instances in the series when a supporting character gives in to their darker impulses. But it is often in these moments that these characters give up their agency.

Passion of the Nerd, a prominent YouTuber in the Buffy fandom manages to explain bad faith morality by paraphrasing Jean-Paul Sarte:

"When you believe that one choice takes undeniable precedent over another, you make yourself an object in the world, at the mercy of it's circumstances."

In the Episode, "Lie to Me," Buffy's tries to stop her old friend, Ford from allowing himself to be turned into a vampire to escape the harrowing fate of terminal brain cancer. While Buffy can sympathize with Ford's situation, she rejects his plight, knowing that Ford turning to vampirism would mean turning himself into souless monster.  Ford's response is to tell Buffy that he doesn't have a choice to which Buffy replies:

In contrast, Buffy continues to make choices, even if those choices are difficult. She chooses to accept the responsibility of being The Slayer, at the expense of a normal life. She chooses to give up her happy ending with her love interest, Angel so that she can focus on fighting evil. She chooses to sacrifice herself to save the world on multiple occasions. This isn't to say that she doesn't struggle with the weight of these choices. There are times in the series when Buffy comes close to shutting down and rejecting her responsibilities as The Slayer.

But the ability to choose to do the right thing, while difficult, is what makes Buffy a hero.

A face.

When taking the Buffyverse's approach to the Soul and morality and applying it to characters in WWE, you'll notice a common thread among the biggest heels in the company. The surrender of one's agency, and an abdication of responsibility.

Whether it be refusing to take accountability their actions.

Believing that the only way to show love is through manipulation and control.

Or surrendering themselves to a higher power.

To be a heel in WWE is to walk the path of least resistance. To be a slave to one's own selfish desires and bloodlust.

Going back to Cody. One year into his first world title reign as the top face in the company, he's beginning to feel the weight of the responsibility. He's lost friends, has been put through the wringer physically and emotionally. He's beginning to let his anger consume him in matches.

He's the valiant hero, a fighting champion...and he's exhausted.

Now he's been given a choice. To choose to the path of integrity and continue to carry the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Or to accept The Rock's offer. To give up his agency. To abandon his responsibilities.

To lose his soul.

[girl4music]

I was awaiting the Buffy guide for this episode for such a long time that I think I maybe anticipated it too much because I was left slightly disappointed in the analysis conclusion as I honestly thought TPN would bring up something I’ve realized for quite some time now about it. Something I’ve found to be very profound about it but could never quite put into words in the way I know he could because he is much more articulate than me.

I assumed many people have already made the connection about The Dawn and Dawn in that it “dawned” on Buffy in that moment that she could sacrifice herself over Dawn as they shared the same blood. But it’s not just blood that is the ties that bind these two sisters. It’s also humanity. Human nature itself is represented through Dawn in exploring and questioning her own existence. Her reason for being.

She is human. She may not be born human with being the incarnation of ‘The Key’ that closes the portal. But everything about her goes back to her humanity. The people that love her and the people that she loves back. The way they know her, learn her and care about her regardless of her not really being part of their real lives. The fact they just seem to disregard that information on account of FEELING the way they do about Dawn.

Therefore, when the revelation of this hits Buffy via the thematic visual of The Dawn, she immediately knows and understands what she can do. Not what she must do. What she CAN do. There is a clear distinction in this because Dawn could sacrifice herself and it’d still work. The portal would close. The Universe wouldn’t collapse. They may have to do some clean up of the mess of the realities colliding with each other but otherwise, they’d be relatively safe again. Dawn knew this as her purpose. Not just what she was made for but why she exists at all. Why she even has a human existence in any case. Because she will possess the consciousness to act. To FEEL like she has to act in exactly the way Buffy would. A random inanimate physical object would possess no such quality unless it is wielded by that of which did because a weapon doesn’t commit a crime of violence. That of whom intends to cause violence is what does. Glory. The same goes for the opposite: In healing pain. Administering medicine. That’s why we have doctors. Ben. That duality and dichotomy that gets lost in the confuddle of the back-and-forth switch-arooing them because they can’t share the same space as Ian said in his ‘Weight Of The World’ analysis - that I agreed with.

But Buffy prevents Dawn from fulfilling her purpose knowing how hard and unfair it is to be chosen for something and have no say in it yourself. No agency. No right to self-government and maintenance. To have no autonomy either in a bodily way or in a mentality way. To be just a vessel with which to conceal what has more power within you and leave you to just be the passenger in a flesh vehicle that has been entirely driven for you.

And to just be a martyr for the so-called “greater good”. More than a thing - a thing with self-consciousness and therefore a thing that can also decide its fate or destiny.

Buffy realizes in that moment that it’d work with her too. Therefore, she literally becomes ‘The Gift’ in her death. And she’s ‘The Gift’ in several different ways which all seamlessly work to emphasise each other.

Firstly and most significantly she’s ‘The Gift’ to Dawn by taking her place and allowing her to live a full free human life in a way that she never really got to have.

She’s ‘The Gift’ to her family of Scoobies so that they could cut their losses before more could happen to them. More loss or harm. Especially if it’d all be in vain as the portal couldn’t be closed once it was opened.

She’s ‘The Gift’ to the world or the universe itself by directly closing the portal to all the other dimensions.

But most poignantly and importantly:

She’s ’The Gift’ to herself by letting go of everything. Not just her life. But her destiny. Her obligation. Her burden. Her pain. That of which she gave no consent to ever go through in the first place. ‘The Gift’ to herself is both in her defiance of the Slayer system that she’s been unwillingly thrust into as well as adhering to it. She finds the loophole. The back door. Another way - while simultaneously relieving herself of her suffering.

It’s perceived as self-sacrifice/suicide. It is that. I’m not denying that it’s not. But there’s just much more to it. More nuance and complexity. It’s well thought out. It’s well-written. It’s well-acted. It’s my preferred ending because I have learned so much more from it and all of what leads up to it than I ever could in ‘Chosen’s’ end.

Having that agency in WHEN and HOW I leave the stage matters to me more so in storytelling than continuing to perform when I feel no joy in the many roles I must play.

I love this episode and specifically this ending so much. I love the dark awareness and truth in it. The tragedy. I love how it’s a quick flick of the switch transition from desperation and confusion to complete utter clarity in Buffy knowing what she can do to save the world again.

That is the profundity of “Death is your gift” and as interesting as I think Ian’s points are in this Buffy guide, I feel like he really missed out on explaining that insight. I was really looking forward to him addressing this line and put clear concise logic to how I feel inside about The Dawn. Which is oddly positive and enthralled considering it is literally a death scene. However, a death scene with so much vitality in it. So much life because it both arrives and departs with such grace.

But maybe that’s just the way only my wacky mind works because the way I understand how I perceive ‘The Gift’ is honestly too much for my own words to convey, let alone anyone else’s who have a platform with which to express to thousands of viewers/listeners such tremendous knowledge of the human condition - which is of course why Buffy remains a staple in pop culture TV and why I think the reboot has a lot to live up to if it wants to touch on anything near Season 5 does when it comes to plummeting the depths of humanity through a supernatural/fantasy environment because that’s no small feat to take on. It takes skill. It takes understanding how useful metaphors can be to the ultimate value of storytelling in TV art/entertainment. I mean I don’t ever watch anything that’s clear cut literalism as much as I love fact and logic. It’s not me. It’s just not how I engage with any kind of storytelling. I love philosophy. I love psychology. I love the deep stuff. The landscape has changed so drastically now that despite all the best intentions, I don’t think it’s doable. I think we’ve hit out peak as far as long-form shows go. I hope I’m very wrong about that but I just don’t see it happening now or certainly not as well as the original.

[hellyeahbuffysummers]

The Great Tragedy of the Buffy HD Remaster

Just watch the DVDs!

[bennetsbonnet]

I know I turned this scene into a joke about how gorgeous Colin Firth is... but the pineapple that lurks in the background of the Netherfield ball when Mr Collins is yapping to Mr Darcy is such a subtle detail that I really appreciate!

The wealthy at this time in Britain were a little bit obsessed with pineapples. Depictions of them featured as decoration in country homes, in political cartoons, paintings and crockery (warning: Margaret Thatcher jumpscare🥴 but you can read more about that here and here).

But to have an actual pineapple on display during a large social gathering such as a ball? That was really showing off.

Especially when you consider it cost £150 (or approx. £28,000 today) to buy the initial plant, build a hothouse to grow them in and run it... with no guarantees they'd grow given the climate was not exactly suited for growing pineapples! It was a huge risk.

All this meant that pineapples were so scarce that they became incredibly sought after. Naturally, rich people did silly rich people things to acquire them and show them off... perhaps they were the NFTs of their day?

A single pineapple was valued at £60 (approx. £11,000 today). Given the cost and effort of acquiring one, you'd think people would be keen to tuck in and sample this exotic fruit? Nope. Pineapples were not eaten! Of course not! They were displayed on plates surrounded by other less prestigious fruit during dinner parties and other social occasions, usually until they rotted. They could be rented for special occasions too. Such was their value that naturally they became the target of thieves and some pineapples even had their own security guards!

In the end, colonialism (because all British history eventually returns to that) meant that pineapples could be imported cheaply and their status was devalued when the working classes could afford to buy them.

But next time you watch Pride and Prejudice (1995), pay attention the scenes in the dining room at the Netherfield ball and look out for the pineapple... which is the second prickliest thing in shot (behind Mr Darcy). 🍍

Also... just to throw in a little etymological rant... as a treat: I know most of the rest of the world calls them ananas... but in English (and other languages) all fruit used to be called an apple of some sort. We just never got around to changing pineapple.

The humble potato has some peculiar names in other languages... looking at you, French and Dutch with your pommes de terre (apples of the earth) and aardappels (earth apples)... and then there is also the Italian for tomato... pomodoro... (golden apple) when most the rest of the world call them some version of the Nahuatl 'tomatl'.

Languages are just funny like that and that's why I find them fascinating!

[jentlemahae]

MARK / 1999 RECORDING BEHIND

[naggingatlas]

watched my friend kass play pressure on stream today n doodled sebastian n then she colored him :) super nostalgic shit. add this one to my collection of butch women on t btw

[beepmeowiskarkat]

People should acknowledge the fact that alcoholism has become a part of Logan’s character in like a genuine way, like yes it’s used jokey in the show but GODDDD it just makes it so clear what direction his character is going in. He is falling apart, he is becoming more and more dependent on destructive coping mechanisms, he’s pushing the light sides away more often and being more friendly with the dark sides and especially Janus, who has showcased a lot of similar traits which Logan seems to be developing, he’s a HYPOCRITE, he’s an ASSHOLE, he’s got issues opon issues!! He is a spiteful alcoholic and the nickname “nerdy wolverine” is becoming a whole lot more literal these days!! And I FUCKING LOVE IT!! DESTROY HIM, MAKE HIM HURT AND HEAL AND DO IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, ABANDONMENT IS NOT HIS ONLY ISSUE!! MAKE HIM HATE HIMSELF!!! WRITE HIM LIKE THE MESS HE IS YOU COWARDS

[thepassionofthenerd]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer S05E22: 'The Gift' Analysis & Breakdown | Passion of the Nerd

New PoTN Buffy Guide The Gift Buffy the Vampire Slayer S05E22 Written by Joss Whedon, Rebecca Kirshner, & Steven DeKnight Directed by Joss Whedon Premiering Today (2/17) at 1pm Mountain Time

[girl4music]

“No one is birthed into the world complete and we don’t cross a line somewhere in our 20’s to find that we’ve arrived at adult. We shape ourselves into the people we are by making choices or circumstances will do the shaping for us. Which brings us to Willow…

This episode is a significant one for the Rosenberg and I realized watching it that I’ve suffered something of a Mandela Effect when it comes to her. Specifically I’ve been misremembering the very first episode where Willow’s eyes turn black upon casting a spell. In ‘Becoming Part I’ after Giles tells Willow that casting a soul restoration spell might open a door she’d be unable to close. She insisted. But his warning implies that casting magic potentially leaves an indelible mark on the caster and while being watched by Cordy and Oz something channelled through her and I was sure that she looked up, looked forward and had black eyes during the remainder of the spell - but no. Still, the door was open, and in Willow’s case what that has meant so far is magic becoming her number one coping mechanism. Magic has been a metaphor for a few things, but one of it’s analogues set up early on by Giles’ abuse of it to get high in ‘The Dark Age’, was drugs. A metaphorical connection between magic and alcohol was made in ‘Something Blue’ when Willow first tried to deal with her grief over Oz by way of a sick bud-light dance party. She has resorted to magic to cope with her lust, to cope with her anger, to cope with her grief,… and in ‘Tough Love’, her rage.

Historically there has usually been a scene afterwards where she suffers guilt for the spell’s misfire and bakes a round of apology cookies, but the episode always stops just short of her learning the actual lesson. Her regret is never specifically for the use of magic to solve her problem, but for the fact that she wasn’t capable enough to pull the spell off the way she wanted to and everyone tends to let it slide. On to the next episode. Heck, Buffy said more to Jonathan in ‘Superstar’ than she has ever said to Willow… because Willow is just… in pain, angry, lonely, lost. That’s all. It’s a familiar pattern with abuse-based coping mechanisms given there always tends to be a lot going on for that person. Big things that their friends and family members see as what actually drove their loved ones to this and that big thing feels more important right now than confronting their loved one about their little problem. Now is not the time, now is never the time and then time slips past.

But Willow has continued to become more powerful with every passing season and in ‘Tough Love’ her breaking into the Magic Box and channelling actual black magic I think represents a turning point. This is the first time her eyes actually turn black and if every spell leaves an indelible mark upon the caster, there is something in her now that she will always have to carry. But in keeping with Willow learning the wrong lesson or none whatsoever, the final scene in the episode follows the pattern we’ve seen to this point. Scoobies feeling bad for what Willow must be going through, conversations about consequences not being had and Willow feeling defeated and depressed. If the pattern fits not just because of Tara’s state, but because Willow wasn’t strong enough to wield the necessary power to properly take her revenge. Wasn’t strong enough,.. yet.”

Once again, nice job, Ian. Hit some points that I’ve never really thought about myself as you often do.

About your comment on the final scene of the episode being confusing because of the location they’re in.

Tara has not officially moved in with Willow. Yes, she stays in Willow’s room more often than not (hence the double bed replacing the two singles since ‘The Replacement’) and because of the traumatic events of ‘Family’ where her abusive dad just let himself in when it was unlocked, making it unsafe for Tara to be there alone, but they don’t officially live together. Willow still has her dorm room and Tara still has hers. So the room you see them in at the end of the episode is Tara’s dorm room, not Willow’s or Buffy’s.

[doriana-gray-games]

dori I feel as if L is so deprived of human touch and connection that they keep projecting their frustrations and lashing out or drowning themselves in the varied alcohol selection of the nearest pub. This all is to say. WHEN CAN WE HUG THAT NERD hahaha

Lololol

You know 🤔✨ it’s funny.

Hugging comes much later than other things…

👁️👄👁️

[liquidatorbruntfca]

while glaringly obvious plot holes, chasms in logic and painfully missed opportunities are inevitable in any long-running series/franchise, the one star trek plot hole that has kept me up at night more than any other, the one that with each episode, twists the knife further and further, is the fact that Captain Kathryn Janeway did not come up through engineering. like HUH???

i’m only halfway through season 2 and very rarely does an episode go by where Janeway doesn’t find an excuse to make her way to engineering. the second something goes wrong with the ship that woman is SPRINTING to see what’s going on with her own two eyes (and usually her hands too). like in S1 E1 of Voyager, they get flung 70,000 light years from home, and one of the first things she does is run to engineering.

i know i know, she was a science officer, something something captains need to be proficient in all domains aboard a starship, yada yada - yes, Janeway has a reputation for going above and beyond when it comes to knowing her shit, but her level of comfort and familiarity with engineering, her ability (and desire) to run around, ask questions, complete tasks and essentially function as a regular member of the engineering crew indicates to me more than just ‘she’s smart’ (see: “Warp Particles!”)

TLDR: Kathryn Janeway was, is, and always will be an engineering girlie to me and i will die on this hill

[sullenshrugs]

i love nerds.

the way they speak so passionately about topics that interest them. their hands flying around in the air as they explain with such intent and love. when they all get shy and flustered, face flushed pink after given a complement.

the way their glasses get all foggy and their eyes go so hazy after making out. how breathy and whiny they become after just a few kisses. heart practically beating out of their chest at the sight of you in their lap, kissing down their neck.

the way their hands grasp onto any part of you as you start to pull away. staring into their eyes, fingers running through their hair while they plead and beg for something more. anything more than just the sweet kisses your leaving on their face.

it's so adorable. i love nerds.

[lexumpysfunland]

haha, I lost a bet so have Walter as a child :D

this is thanks to @neytirie-kurun ... though this gave me an idea of a silly variant where Walter and Aayla are children and Stanley and Mariella are the caretakers for them. Of course, they still have their adult minds but look and act like children :) Tk would mostly take care of the parable and provide for them all since Aayla and Walter are children. but he somehow wouldn't mind. so I will draw more of that in the future hehe