elisi | The Scenes I'm thankful for.

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The Scenes I'm thankful for.

Well, I’m trying not to be a sheep, but this meme is just so intriguing! So, I’ve worked out my own lists - there are a few overlaps with other people lists, but I don’t think that can be helped.

Also, rather than just choosing my ‘favourite’ scenes, I tried to go with the ‘thankful’ idea... what scenes always make me catch my breath - make me shiver or tear up? What scenes have I watched over and over again, continually rewinding the tape because they’re so powerful? And which scenes manage to sum up in a sentence or a look a whole relationship or story? These are the scenes I tried to identify! (Hm, pompous much?)

Five Angel Scenes I’m thankful for.

1. “But it means something that you tried.” (Home)

The first episode of Angel that I ever watched was ‘Home’. And this scene with Wesley and Lilah was so powerful, that I couldn’t wait to find out what had happened - because I could sense so many complexities and so much pain and love! And when I then started to watch Angel from the start, a great deal of the time I was wondering - when do Wes and Lilah get together? And how? It hooked me, and I shipped them before I knew what had happened.

2. “No, not the hair! Never the hair!” (In The Dark)

Most of my choices are all deep and meaningful, but this one is all about the joy that is Snarky!Spike. And although laugh-out-loud funny, the scene also shows how perceptive Spike is. I just love it!

3. Darla: "Oh no. - Much worse. - Now we're soul mates." (Darla)

That one sentence sums up so much of the Angel/Darla relationship, that I won’t even begin to unravel it! I obviously have a thing for complicated couples!

4. "The sky is gonna open, people gonna pray and sing. Oh, I can't feel a thing.. (Dead End)

Apart from the song being beautiful, it is also eerily prescient: lyrics here. And the way the camera lingers on Cordelia’s face as Lindsey sings, she looks so beautiful and young - knowing what’s to come, and how the words of this song will come true and in the end kill her... it’s heartbreaking!

5. “Let’s go to work” (Not Fade Away)

Actually I want to choose the whole episode! Because if nothing that you do matters, then all that matters is what you do!

Five Buffy Scenes I’m thankful for.

1. Young Giles and Joyce. (Band Candy)

Need I say more?

2. When Buffy jumps. (The Gift)

This is on a lot of peoples lists, but it is so beautiful and perfect I can’t leave it out... and then there’s the aftermath and Spike’s grief! *deep shaky sigh*

3. “So we will walk through the fire, and let it - Burn...” (Once More With Feeling)

That shot of the Scoobies walking, while everyone is singing and right on ‘Burn’ those fireengines drive by... that is one of the most perfect moments ever on tv! The rightness makes me shiver.

4. The end of ‘Grave’.

Willow crying in Xander’s arms, Giles and Anya in the Magic Box, Buffy and Dawn climbing out into the sunshine - all hope and beauty and sweeeping music... and then... then the music goes dark, and we’re in a cave with anger and pain and all the words that could sum up late-s6-Spike. And then “We will - return your soul!” ::shivers:: Damn I love that!

5. The Final Fight (Chosen)

I love this scene... actually seeing the inside of the Hellmouth, the Potentials, the charge by the Turok-Han, and the sudden powersurge as all the girls become Slayers! The music, the beautiful fight sequences, how Buffy goes down and comes back with renewed force! And then... enter the Champion! That first moment as the light explodes from Spike, and The First’s Army are felled in one big swoop - it makes me catch my breath every single time! Because that episode is All. About.Spike. The Slayers would never have been able to stop all the Ubervamps - that was for the hero to do! And then we have the most wonderful of moments with two people alone in the world...

Five Spuffy Scenes I’m thankful for.

1. The Stairscene in ‘Afterlife’.

The look on his face.

2. The sexscene in ‘Smashed’.

I think it was the looks on their faces as they were doing it that got to me. My mouth is still dry. review by Billie.

3. The doorscene in ‘Dead Things’.

Another scene where images and sound go together in perfect harmony. The song is the perfect description of Spike and Buffy at that point and the hands... I have watched this too often to count!

4. The scene in the church from ‘Beneath You’

I would choose the whole episode if I could, because I love it all, but that last scene is so raw, that it hurts to watch.

So this is how Spike has decided to wrestle with his demons: he’s spliced himself into halves.
On one side, we have William...tortured by the things he’s done. Soft at heart. Weak and misguided. Living in the past. Tormented. Unkempt hair.
On the other, we have Spike. Neutered Spike, yes, but still Spike. British cool. Devious, yet charming. Misplaced. Misguided. In love with Buffy.
Last week, I was sure that Spike’s reference to "just the three of us" meant Buffy, himself, and the big evil lurking in the shadows. Now, I’m not so certain. Now, I think it might just be Spike, William, and Buffy.
And how much more interesting is that?
In the end, however, I think the two came together. Maybe not for the first time, but the first for us. In the end, Spike met William half way and became something not entirely not unlike...a man. review by Hunter Maxin. Click on that link and read the whole thing! It says it better than I ever could! Do it now!

5. Spike’s Speech in ‘Touched’.

Another quote: For all those who balk at Spuffy, who feel betrayed for Angel – Spike does what Angel never did, never could, and never tried. Spike makes her stronger. Spike gives her faith. Spike gives her a reason to win. review by Hunter Maxin.

I think this is Spike’s greatest gift to Buffy (see this song) - and hers to him. They have faith in each other (see

awmp’s illustration of this here). Oh, the number of times I rewatched this scene the week after it aired...

“Will you just hold me?”

That says it all.

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"Oh no. - Much worse. - Now we're soul mates."

I love that line. It's so... argh! It's so true and ironic and *rough*. And that song in Dead End is wicked foreshadowy. For a whole season and a half (or more) later! I love stuff like that!

It's so... argh! It's so true and ironic and *rough*

Exactly!

And I love continuity too! :)

The doorscene in ‘Dead Things’

This is one of my favorites too! And now that I think about it, I'm kinda surprised that it hasn't shown up on anyone else's list. And the song is absolutely perfect. Every time I listen to it, I think of that scene.

I'm kinda surprised that it hasn't shown up on anyone else's list.

Me too - but by including it, I had to leave out the Tabula Rasa kiss... 5 scenes are not a lot!

And I know the song off by heart! It was the first tune I downloaded when we got iTunes!

Well, that was just great! I'm loving this meme.

Thank you! And I love this meme too - I was sure I'd never be able to narrow it down, but with 3 categories...

Anyway, now I have piles of housework to do! (Also I spent half the morning working on your picture).

Psst...the Hunter Maxim links don't work.

*Thank you* for pointing it out! That's what I get for posting half a minute before rushing out the door to pick up the oldest from school! But they're all fixed now! :)

Thanks for putting your list together!

the door scene in Dead Things is a great moment - very illustrative of B/S relationship at the time. and music there is perfect.

and I love Angel/Darla and Wes/Lilah. too. So twisted. ;)

I love all of 'Dead Things', but that scene in particular!

And twisted is definitely of the good! ;)

For the Buffy scenes , i'm right with you on the end of The Gift ( according to me it remains one of the most emotionally beautiful and draining scene of the serie ) , and the final battle in the hellmouth , in Chosen.
Had watched those a hundred times!

I like your idea of saying : 'I'm thankful for..' .
And I would choose the same moments ( and plenty of others , but..)

-when Buffy is coming down the stairs.. and he understands.. * GUH *
-the sex at the end of Smashed : enthralling in an unforgettable way . (watched a thousand time..)
-the door scene in Dead things : yes it was intensely powerful , and the song was perfect.
-the scene in the church.. I was crying and I cry each time.
-Spike's words to Buffy , in Touched : never heard a declaration of love so moving and wonderful.
His love for her is so pure , there.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts , it was much interesting!

As I said, I tried to find the moments that just knocked me out (and still do) when I first saw them!

I spent far too much time putting this together this afternoon, but suddenly it became very important...

Thank you for your lovely comment! :)

Oh, I'm so glad you picked the scene where Wes tries to burn Lilah's contract in "Home"! It was such the perfect finale for that relationship. They were never about the hearts and flowers, and I also like the idea that no matter how low Wesley felt he'd fallen and no matter how much he hated himself while they were involved, he just wasn't capable of the kind of cruelty and manipulation he himself was trying to achieve and had in fact really had come to care for her.

Oh, see this was the sort of thing I wanted to write, but just couldn't get down! Thank you. And my heart bleeds for them every time I see that scene, because he did love her! I almost picked the time where he's going to decapitate her, but I think this is more powerful, because she's actually there, and not just a figment of his imagination (accurate as that might have been).

I do think that what Wes and Lilah had was complicated but profoundly honest, and that that kind of honesty between two such damaged people is very meaningful. I don't know if I'd actually call it love, though, in the traditional, romantic sense of the word. Then again, I don't think Wes loved Fred either--he had some serious Madonna/Whore issues going on and objectified her to a degree that made me profoundly uneasy, and it was hard for me to believe he saw her enough as a real person to actually love her.

I also love the decapitation scene. It's funny what a twisted show Angel was, because my reaction ("Aw. He's going to cut her head off because he cares! How romantic!") would probably strike the outsider as just a little odd. :)

"Aw. He's going to cut her head off because he cares! How romantic!"

Hee! Those were my thoughts too! :)

I don't know if I'd actually call it love, though, in the traditional, romantic sense of the word.

Oh, the whole Wes/Fred, Wes/Lilah and who did he love and how is many essays worth of thoughts! But to draw two very simplistic parallels, I think that Wes/Fred was the Bangel of AtS and Wes/Lilah was the Spuffy. And

the_royal_anna has a wonderful post on 'AHITW/Shells' that deals with Wes/Fred. You can find it here (just in case you've never read it!).

Those were lovely. I so nearly picked all of those. I honestly think I could do this meme for a week and pick different things every day...but I'm not going to try!

I honestly think I could do this meme for a week and pick different things every day...

Oh, me too! :)

Great choices. But this scene?:

That shot of the Scoobies walking, while everyone is singing and right on ‘Burn’ those fireengines drive by...

Makes me laugh with pure joy every. Single. Time.

Makes me laugh with pure joy every. Single. Time.

Me too! Me too! And husband - who wants to make films and actually knows something about shooting and editing etc. was seriously impressed with that shot! And it take a lot to impress him!

All good choices. The end of Grave, "Walk Through the Fire", Chosen, and "soul mates" were so close to being on my list (it was hard to narrow it all down). And I forgot Wes/Lilah! Yes, complicated couples are the only way to go for me.

Well, I noticed that a lot of your choices seemed to echo mine... and complicated couples are just so much more interesting (see 'conversation' with

danceswithwords above).

Oh gorgeous, gorgeous scenes, all of them. You make me want to go and re-watch the whole show - both of them, right from the beginning - and at the same time I feel so in awe after being reminded of some extraordinary scenes, it feels like even the littlest of episodes might be a bit too much.

You make me want to go and re-watch the whole show - both of them, right from the beginning

My feelings exactly!!!

Although I know what you mean by the second half of that sentence... I just - *sigh* (see icon!)

2. “No, not the hair! Never the hair!” (In The Dark)

Hee! I love that entire scene and laugh every time I see it. This scene stands in stark contrast to the Spike we see later in that same episode. I know from the moment Spike was introduced in 'School Hard' we were suppose to view him as evil. In theory, I did. Yet, he was never as terrifying to me as in the moment when he taunts Angel with the knowledge of what the guy torturing him likes to do to children and Spike laughs at this revelation. Now *that* is evil.

Well, that the delicious joy of Spike - he was such a complex character, right from the start. The show's first 3-dimensional villain!

And someone pointed out in a review of 'In the Dark' how Marcus (I think that's his name - the torturer) remarks upon how little bodily damage Angel has sustained in more than two centuries... but that Spike of course knows that all the damage is internal and he manages to mentally torture Angel very effectively!

Hm, people shouldn't get me talking...

“But it means something that you tried.”

That's a beautiful scene, easily my favorite W/L scene.

“No, not the hair! Never the hair!” (In The Dark)

I came thisclose to putting that scene on my list too. It's so funny, no matter how many time I watch it, and it's not an inaccurate description of Angel, which makes it even better.

That shot of the Scoobies walking, while everyone is singing and right on ‘Burn’ those fireengines drive by... that is one of the most perfect moments ever on tv!

Joss points out that moment on the commentary for OMWF, saying how proud he is of that shot.

Thanks for commenting - and it is very hard narrowing it down, isn't it? I almost made a list with all the runners-up!

What terrific choices! Especially that scene from 'Darla'. I loved the whole Human!Darla arc, but I think that was the moment that I truly became an Angel/Darla shipper because, like you said, it just sums up their relationship so well. I'm still not sure that I would actually call what they have love, but it's a bond more powerful and fascinating than anything they have with any other character.

And it's quite appropriate that you used my icon for this post, 'cause you pinpointed the exact reason why I made it in the first place. The whole fight sequence in 'Chosen' really is awesome, and it thrills me everytime I see that scorching light explode out from Spike and destroy everything in it's path. :)

I'm still not sure that I would actually call what they have love, but it's a bond more powerful and fascinating than anything they have with any other character.

That's very true, and I don't have anything to add. :)

'cause you pinpointed the exact reason why I made it in the first place

Oh, I'm pleased now! :)

I was thinking about which scenes to choose, and when I decided to use that scene as a 'Buffy'-scene (rather than just the flaming-hands-Spuffy-part) I immediately thought of this icon! 'Cause that moment completely knocked me out the first time I saw it! (And still does of course, but I was just in awe then).

Thank you, thank you - this meme is just great!
I love how you make so many different connections with sight and sound - that makes it so much more powerful.
Thanks so much for all the links - I have to come back to them later.
“No, not the hair! Never the hair!” (In The Dark)
As I said before, I watched this ep the other night and Spike's speech is incredibly funny. He's just so dead-on with his comments about Angel and the voices JM makes are wonderful. Why didn't we see more of that? aaaargh!
Thanks for the Wes/Lilah and Angel/Darla moments too - I just always find it so intriguing that it's not just the main characters that grab our attention, but the support cast (if not more so).
Spuffy *sighs and rolls over in contentment*
Wonderful post - thank you!

This meme is excellent!!!

And one of the things I love most about the show, is how skillfully music was used - many scenes acquire an added depth when you notice the lyrics of the song being played. (F.ex. 'Aimee Mann's 'Pavlov's Bell' in Sleeper).

And Spike's 'voice-over' is one of the best pieces of writing ever!

I just always find it so intriguing that it's not just the main characters that grab our attention, but the support cast (if not more so).

I think that was always one of the shows greatest strengths - even minor characters (such as Ethan Rayne) were fully formed and interesting.

Spuffy *sighs and rolls over in contentment*

Yup! That my reaction too! :)

“Will you just hold me?”

That says it all.

*sniff*

Aww.

Sorry, not really a coherent response huh? :)

I think that was also my response to a lot of the memes - 'cause well... Spuffy!

OK, so this comment is like 3 years late (and you may find a few more from me as I'm perusing your "Buffy has taken over my brain entries" during down times at work :P) but I love this meme. Reminds me of all the great Buffy moments. :) (Haven't seen Angel yet, but that will be remedied shortly.) And Spuffy makes me all giddy inside. *squeal!* I don't think I've ever shipped a couple as strongly as I do those two. I watched the "Will you just hold me?" scene like 50 times when I borrowed my friend's DVDs. Now I just need to raise the funds to buy my own set so I can watch it 500 more times, lol

OK, so this comment is like 3 years late
And very welcome indeed! :) I'd completely forgotten that I'd written this.

and you may find a few more from me as I'm perusing your "Buffy has taken over my brain entries" during down times at work :P
Now that's very flattering. :)

And Spuffy makes me all giddy inside. *squeal!* I don't think I've ever shipped a couple as strongly as I do those two.
Word! It's the most amazing lovestory *ever*! Have you read

the_royal_anna? You *must*. Buffy posts here!

I watched the "Will you just hold me?" scene like 50 times when I borrowed my friend's DVDs.
Heh. I remember watching it when it first aired, and then re-watching the scene goodness how many times during the week that followed. I was pretty much in heaven!

And I hope you enjoy Angel - it's darker in tone, but I love it to pieces! :)

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The Scenes I'm thankful for.

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