Tiny Fences: A Buffy Podcast

"Did I mention I'm having a really strange night?" Oh Xander, a strange night for you, makes a super-fun episode for us!  Amanda and Andrea welcome back Vanessa from Not Another X-Files Podcast Podcast to chat about this Xander-centric ep. We talk about the masculinity, music, and the magic of (literally)'flipping the script' in The Zeppo.  Amanda has several 'games' for the girls to play, and Andrea apologizes profusely for sounding like she's dying throughout the episode. 

It's Buffy's birthday again! Which obviously means bad news...Amanda and Andrea welcome a new guest to celebrate the big day: Matthew!  The gang chats about the new information we've learned about the Watcher's Council, how Buffy copes with losing her powers, and Giles' betrayal. 

Witches, mobs, and demons! OH MY! It's "Gingerbread" time, this week the girls talk about mob mentalities, good and bad parental units, and the excellent quotables in this ep courtesy of Jane Espenson!

 "It's a WB Holiday Event!" according to the promo. The girls discuss Buffy's only 'Christmas' episode, which ends surprisingly happy for a Joss written/directed episode.  The big question continues to be why is Angel back? Andrea questions Amanda as to whether we know the truth or if the First was lying. The ladies also talk about some strong acting from David Boreanaz, who's been floating around the periphery for a while. (well, strong except for the less than great accent, and questionable hair/facial hair...) There's also some great discussion about how people are too hard on themselves, and are often better, stronger, than they give themselves credit for.  With amends being made in the Willow/Oz relationship as well, A&A get into a conversation about Oz's feminist side and whether Willow's really ready to do the 'thing'.  And lastly, any episode claiming a heat wave and then snow is obviously going to need some 'splaining' from these Canadians, who question whether California is actually familiar wit

This week we’re following Cordelia down the rabbit hole into a land of greys, fear, and vampires running wild and free. It’s Wishverse! We welcome Andrea’s best friend Craig onto the podcast to talk about a world where Buffy never comes to Sunnydale. Amanda brings back conversation about fashion and the contrast in colours shown throughout the episode. Craig and the girls love Wishverse Willow and all pity her “poor puppy.” We also go in depth with Oz and his stoic emotional maturity and examine the question of whether friends who have crossed the “romantic line” can ever return to where they were. Andrea brings us into the conversation of Wishverse Buffy and how different our hero’s life would have been without her Scoobies. Click play and join our discussion on one of Joss's top ten favourite episodes!     

Big things are happening in Sunnydale! The SAT results are in! Just kidding, we all know the big news is that everyone's favourite lovelorn vampire is back in town! Amanda and Andrea talk about how Spike is able to come into town have an affect on almost all the relationships we care about - he's THAT powerful a destructive force. They talk about the various natures of love and lust that exist in Sunnydale, and how each character has a different reaction in dealing with their emotions.  The girls do also talk about the B plot of Buffy potentially being able to get a higher education, and how proud both Giles and Joyce of her academic achievement.  At the end of the episode the girls lay out (at LAST) the details for the upcoming Q&A episode.

  Nobody insults Giles' books! Well, except for mysterious lady Watchers...  The explore this episode all about secrets; Angel, Xillow, the glove of Minnegan, a few of them get revealed (see what I did there) and the drama that lies therein. Giles' emotional reaction to the Angel news, and Xander acts as you would expect him to are a big conversation point, along with "who is Gwendolyn Post?"

Anybody want a chocolate bar?! Amanda and Andrea welcome back friend, and bad-boy Giles aficionado, Julia to the podcast to talk about 'Band Candy' There's a lot of love for this episode, especially for our villains, Snyder, the Mayor and Mr. Trick. Throw in some Teen Wolf, Xillow angst, and you get a lot of laughing this time around.  Curious about the SATs and testing, Andrea takes the girls on a testing tangent, and Amanda does the same about learning to drive. 

Amanda and Andrea are back with a new episode! Buffy decides she wants to make a lasting impression at the school, embraces her inner prom queen and runs for homecoming queen...but this is Sunnydale, so how about Slayerfest '98 instead? Amanda finally breaks out her season 2 rap and also laments the lack of alumni (from her prediction) in this episodes. With Cordy and Buffy at loggerheads, the girls get a chance to talk about how great Cordy is when she gets the chance to shine. This is also the rebirth of Xillow on Buffy, and the ladies lament it's unfortunate return. However, that does launch a fun tangent about relationships on television in general.  The girls also can't help but go on a bit of a Star Wars tangent, (since this was recorded right before Ep VII was released) and talk about how excited they are for it!

Amanda and Andrea got together in December before they made their respective ways home for the holidays to talk about what an amazing year 2015 was, and look ahead to what 2016 might hold.  

Amanda and Andrea welcome new guest, Marina, to discuss Beauty and the Beasts.  In this pseudo-sequel to Phases, the ladies talk about the nature of beasts and how it's represented in the three male characters, Oz, Pete and Angel. Unsurprisingly, the ladies skirt around and then talk about the abuse/therapy parts of this episode as well. We find out that Marina's favourite character is Oz (much to Andrea's glee) and her Buffy 'origin' story. The ladies have a TON of quotes for this episode, so sit back, relax and enjoy!  

"This podcast is brought to you by..." The girls welcome, as the first guest for season 3, fan-favourite John as they meet new slayer Faith, sassy vamp Mr. Trick and new love interest Scott Hope.  On top of chatting about how much they love Faith, they also ponder the consequences of a high vampire population on the city of Sunnydale, and try and figure out why Giles wasn't invited to the Watcher's Council getaway.  

It's party time in Sunnydale!  Amanda and Andrea talk about how parties make them uncomfortable, and how they can totally empathize with Buffy in this episode. The Scoobies are being super passive aggressive, and Snyder's all tingly. The ladies also talk about how. with characters as 'real' and human as the one's on Buffy are, they're super frustrating sometimes. 

We can hardly believe we're already on season three! Where has the time gone?! Amanda and Andrea chat about Buffy and how she's such a positive influence on those around her, even when she isn't trying. They also discover that Amanda missed the end of the episode when she watched it, so we catch up on air. Andrea can't stop talking about the amazing one-shot in the ep.  The ladies also talk about the amped up opening credits, the apparent increase in budget for the show, 'cause the production value is WAY up. They also get lost in a few tangents about TV, shows trolling their fans and when bad episodes happen to good TV.

Can you believe we're already at the end of season two? Neither can we! The girls talk about this amazing episode, and how it's the culmination and payoff for everything we've been building towards season two. We've got some great character development for the Scoobies, some more 'what not to do as a parent' moments with Joyce and music chats galore.  The girls dance around 'that scene' at the end, for a while, but finally get into a discussion about how fantastic Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz are in it. Season two may be done, but we're powering on! See you for season three!

We can hardly believe we're already at the season 2 finale!  Full of flashbacks, 'Becoming Pt. 1' is all about learning about how Angel became the vampire we knew and loved. Amanda & Andrea also note how it highlights the difference between Angel and Angelus.  There's a lot of set up in this first part of the two part finale, Kendra makes her reappearance, and there's some serious tension arising between the Scoobies. We're also introduced to Whistler, Andrea's favourite momentary character, imparting all kinds of wisdom, and through him, Amanda gets her first view of a 'good' demon. 

Amanda and Andrea welcome back Tom from Toronto, (live and in person this time) for their discussion about the episode with the weirdest placement in the whole season. Tom brings the girls Swedish fish, and a eulogy for the episode. Andrea goes off on a Hallmark movie tangent and Amanda explains how she kinda liked the episode....despite it's rampant misogyny.  Also, one of Andrea's fun facts brings an interesting musical revelation for Amanda, and the girls talk fun fan emails!

Not only is it time for one of the most beautiful episodes of Buffy, with strong emotional character work from the cast, it's ALSO finally our episode with Peter Dunn!  Andrea's so excited to have two newbies to watch and podcast one of best written, in her opinion, episodes of the season! Having both Amanda and Peter unspoiled leads to an super-sized episode with lots of speculation about the future for the Scoobies.  There's also a new theme mix, a song for Tiny Fences by Peter and he gets the girls a bit teary with his lovely words of support! It's a good one folks! Enjoy!  

Sick Slayer, kids being terrorized by an unseen monster, it's all fun and games this week folks! Well, especially if you're Amanda, monsters are better than amped up emotions. With Buffy in the hospital, the Scoobies have to step up, although Amanda can't help but ask why they haven't call Kendra to help with their Angelus problem yet... Other than that we've got Cordelia being on fire with the quotes this ep, and being oddly immune to Giles' dry British wit. 

Passion: It's a heartbreaker, that's for sure. Angelus amps up his torment of Buffy, and this has a direct correlation to the feels inflicted on poor Amanda.  With Amanda out of sorts, Andrea gets to flex her film studies degree muscles a little more than usual, with discussions about the strong directing, lighting and cinematography in this episode, especially during the climactic chase scene. We also dive into the themes of passion, and invitation/exclusion, and how they're explored in the episode.  It's a good one folks! Enjoy! (and send positive vibes Amanda's way)