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My Musical Interests at the Moment

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By Music Critic and Blogger Holden Hartle

I’ve recently noticed that I listen to a lot of music that maybe other people haven’t heard of. When I find out that someone knows a band that I like, I become ecstatic, as if we are the only two people on Earth that know the artist. Of course, this isn’t the case. These bands and artists have millions of fans, but I still feel they deserve more recognition.

Grandson: When people ask about him, I always say that he is like a modern version of Rage Against the Machine. He combines hard rock moshiness with a trap drum beat, and his lyrics often revolve around political problems. He is releasing new music sometime in January and is going on his No Apologies tour shortly after.

Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers: The frontman’s story is very humbling. Frank Lopez was kicked out of his house as a teenager and was forced to live in his car, and so he named himself Hobo Johnson. His music is very spoken-word-esque and explores his emotions as life just keeps on throwing obstacles at him. He has a European tour coming this winter, and he has announced that new music is coming soon.

This is the cover for Highly Suspect’s The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

Highly Suspect: There are only three people in this band, but these three people make a lot of noise. They give a more hard rock feel to the alternative genre. They received a lot of success with their last album The Boy Who Cried Wolf (2016) but have since been quiet. I hope to see new music in the future.

SWMRS: They give off more of an old school punk feel. They gained a lot of traction with their debut album Drive North (2016), and have pre-released their album Berkeley’s On Fire. The album is set to release on February 15th, and they have a European/North American tour scheduled after its official release and will last until May. I highly suggest you take a listen.

The Blue Stones: The Blue Stones sound like if The Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys collaborated. They have only released one album entitled Black Hole (2015), and it’s a bop with a wide range of sounds, ranging from hard rock to a bluesy tone. They are opening for Grandson on his upcoming tour.

Dominic Fike: He is my newest musical obsession. He mixes R&B style vocals with a more alternative approach to the instrumentals. His guitar chops and drum patterns add a nice rhythm to each of his songs. He only has one EP out called Don’t Forget About Me, Demos (2018), and I really enjoy it. The entire EP only takes fifteen minutes to listen through, so if you need something to enjoy on your drive home, I highly suggest some Dominic Fike.

Editor: Makena Behnke

The Avengers–High School Conspiracy

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By Charles Schnell, Who Does Not Actively Follow or Care About the Marvel Movies

Before you scroll down or click away, hear me out. I know this may sound ridiculous, but I think the masterminds over at Marvel entertainment have outlined the four Avengers movies in a way that represents each grade in high school. At least, this is what my experience has led me to theorize.

Let’s go over the series and compare, shall we?

Avengers: Ah, the original. This is freshman year of high school. Think about it. There’s a new team of sheriffs in town. Some are smarter; some are stronger; some are more attractive.  These freshies are here to team up for the first time and save the world. Now, take the average freshman class. Some are smarter; some are stronger; some are more attractive. However, they have all assembled at school for the first time to save each other, and the school as a whole, from bullies. Who are these bullies? Well, that would be the upperclassmen, society, the government, etc. Coincidence? I think not. Avengers is freshman year!

Avengers: Age of Ultron: This is sophomore year, most definitely. No doubt about it. In this one, the overall plot line is not tied up. Thanos is out and about, but not the main focus. This is more of a subplot movie if anything. Now, think about sophomore year of high school. Why does one go to high school? Well, at least if we are talking college-prep schools such as Palm Valley, one goes to get into college. That is the overall, main plot: getting into college. However, sophomores usually are not thinking too heavily about college. And, if they are, imagine how much worrying they’ll be doing junior and senior years, when college—Thanos—has finally arrived. In junior and senior year, all our GPAs start plummeting, and it’s one hard battle after another, and college is sitting right in front of you, taunting, laughing, smiling into the sunset. In sophomore year, that’s not the case. You aren’t focused on getting into college, the main plot. You usually have something else to worry about, the subplot. You’ve got your first (and perhaps your last) AP, your last year where the PSAT does not matter, and your 16th birthday—a classic American milestone. Sophomore year is the Age of Ultron.

Avengers: Infinity War: Time to put on your big kid pants. “Thanos” has arrived, and he is taking no prisoners. All who oppose him will be crushed, and in this “movie,” no “Avenger” is safe. Now, look again at those sentences, but replace “Thanos” with “college,” “movie” with “year,” and “Avenger” with “junior,” and you have a perfect summary of junior year. In years prior, the academic workload usually starts off slow. Everything is okay in the beginning of freshman and sophomore years, and then it all goes down the drain usually once December hits. But, those challenges have been manageable, and you have not let them conquer you. Junior year is much different. Thanos is unlike any other enemy. The junior grind does not allow for any meager distractions. Once junior year starts, it’s “GO GO GO” from the very first day. No time for breaks, no time for opposition. “GO GO GO.” APs! SATs! ACTs! PSATs! Look at colleges! HARVARD! This pain train’s got no breaks; it just hopes its passengers can hold on. Junior year is a war that seems endless, but it eventually ends…. Unfortunately, it might end in a way that you may not want it to. Junior year is the Infinity War.

Avengers: Endgame: “We’re in the endgame now.” I’m not a senior, but if I had to guess, every senior has probably said something akin to this during senior year. It’s the end. Half or so of the senior class was mentally destroyed during junior year. It’s up to the remaining seniors to help motivate their friends back to life, save their GPAs, and finally finish the main plot, the story that has been developing for 18 years; it’s time for the seniors to get into college and enter the next phase of their life. Need I say more? Senior year, the final year of high school, childhood, and—dare I say—innocence, is the Endgame. And yet, at the same time, it is much more than an end. It’s a beginning, a beginning to the next phase of your life.

There you have it. High school is the Avengers. The Avengers is high school. This is my argument, and I have laid it out plainly for you. Now, all that’s left is your opinion. Do you agree with, disagree with, or—best of all—ignore my post, and move on to more important matters?

Editor: Luke Langlois

The Weak

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By Translator and Blogger James Zheng

So, I was browsing on a Chinese video sharing website called Bilibili (which is similar to Youtube), and then I found this amazing poem among the comments while I was watching a well-made AMV (anime music video). Shockingly, this poem was written by a normal anime reviewer. The translation is by me.


By Scattered Sakura (Screen name)


Rain brings the flavor of the sky;

the ocean carries the atmosphere of the abyss;

cicadas of late summer deliver their taunts to human beings;

the intolerable pain of the spine oppresses the fragile nerves.

Those cowards who had never been to the battlefield roared presumptuously.

They were wishing to tear apart the prey,

while they remained endlessly hateful about the cloudy sky,

and the deadly calm of the Jordanian river in the deep winter.

Twisted with hundreds of emotions and sentiments, the battlefield led to the Crows’ bloodthirst.

The stinky wind came from the sea;

the heavy rain brought extremely frozen water,

And the furiously raging flame was extinguished.

No redemption, no destruction, only obedience can lead to survival.

Sweat flowed down the girl’s smooth body,

withered leaves sprinkled with blood and tears.

The swan cut across the sky,

full of loneliness and desolation–caged birds pray for a storm full of life.

However, in front of the higher herdsmen,

we can only be captive lambs, fearing death, while hoping that the glory of victory spreads over the earth before dawn.


Before I shoot off to tell you how extraordinary this poem is, I must tell you that there is a slight difference between Chinese and American figurative and literal meanings, as well as writing styles. Because of the translation, there might be some places in the poem that may slightly confuse you.

What is really fascinating about this entire poem is the way it depicts a vivid image to interpret the significant term, “the weak.” The word choice actually conveys to me an oppressive atmosphere where one force overcomes another.

Editor: Luke Langlois

Top 25 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episodes: #10-1

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By Leo Milmet, Extreme Buffy Enthusiast


Warning: There are spoilers for all 7 seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer in this post. Also, this post is designed for people who are very familiar with the series — there will be references to certain scenes, lines, etc. that simply may not make sense if you aren’t at least a casual fan of Buffy. I have tried to minimize this while also speaking to die-hard fans of the series such as myself.

I previously revealed my choices for #25-11 on my list of the top 25 Buffy The Vampire Slayer episodes. Now we’re down to the top 10! I love this show so much. I could go on about it all day, but as I fear that this post may get a little long, I’ll shut up and get on with my choices!

10. “Fool For Love” (Season 5, Episode 7) — It’s very rare that a single episode has such a long-lasting major impact, but “Fool For Love” is relevant from the moment it begins all the way until the series’s final moments. This episode is, as vampire Spike might say, “bloody brilliant.” Its exploration of what it means to be a Slayer is one of the more important themes throughout the series, executed nowhere better than here. While watching the show up to this point, one may have always had the thought remaining in the back of their head, “What if Buffy were to be severely injured or killed just by having an off day with a totally normal, regular vampire? Everybody makes mistakes, right?” Well, yes. Buffy is bested in a fight by a totally normal vampire in the opening scene of “Fool For Love,” prompting her on a journey of self-exploration that leads her to Spike, who knows about Slayers.  Funnily enough, no one knows more about Slayers than vampires, especially those who have killed multiple Slayers, such as Spike. He was always a layered character, but I feel his “William the Bloody” moments showed the complexities of how one changes when becoming a vampire. I believe Spike ultimately is able to act benevolently because of who he was as a human — an awkward but oh so well-meaning romantic. In “Fool For Love,” we are treated to a deconstruction of Spike the man, Spike the monster, and most interestingly and importantly, Spike the tragic hero. Spike is one of the most layered, fully developed characters in the series, and this episode is one of two reasons why.

9. “Lies My Parents Told Me” (Season 7, Episode 17) — This episode is the other reason why I love Spike so much. He’s a human in the world of vampires; he’s a vampire in the world of humans. Now, it seems harder and harder for him to prove that he really isn’t beyond redemption. However, this episode is also about Buffy’s transformation into becoming a leader. Sometimes a leader must lead by defying her advisors, including Giles (who is trying to see things the most rationally but ultimately cannot be persuaded by his own bias against Spike and his firm opinion that demons are irredeemable). Buffy must confront the idea that sometimes leaders do need to know how to break the moral boundaries when the time is right. However, the discussion of this episode is “Is this the right time?” And that idea is the basis for one of the most revealing episodes in the entire series. Giles’s sometimes-harsh “leadership” tactics are finally shown to be somewhat misguided, and it is in this episode where his mentor-mentee relationship with Buffy is finally destroyed; they are now equals.

8.  “Hush” (Season 4, Episode 10) — If I had to single out a single, incredibly valuable strength of this show, I’d have to say “dialogue, dialogue, dialogue.” Then, Buffy creator Joss Whedon comes along with a largely dialogue-free episode that is one of the most horrifying (and also one of the silliest) of the entire series. The Gentlemen are truly terrifying in its use of silence. The lyrical melody hummed by a small child in a dream sequence, reminiscent of A Nightmare on Elm Street’s famous “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you,” sets off the tone about how the loss of verbal communication can actually help Buffy and Riley cement their feelings for each other. The Gentlemen are also the perfect villains for a show like Buffy. They come from an old fairy tale and represent the demonic nature of the sins of the past: patriarchy, slavery, and more. They even steal the hearts of their victims, a reference to the destruction one person can create by metaphorically breaking someone’s heart. It’s surprising even for Buffy villains how layered these guys can be (more so considering they exist in one episode, without a single line of dialogue between them all). And the fact that Buffy is the “princess” who stops The Gentlemen by screaming is perfect. This episode, with almost no dialogue, was the only Buffy episode ever to be nominated for a writing Emmy.

7. “Innocence” (Season 2, Episode 13) — This is where Buffy stops being a silly ‘90s vampire show that happens to be laden with amazing characters and great metaphors about teenage life and becomes a truly legendary show. The pain that Angelus will cause Buffy is so clear here, and he’s only just begun. The Judge is a very good villain as well. Though he has little flair or personality (and almost no character development over the two episodes in which he appears), he has lots of thematic and symbolic meaning. His place here is mainly twofold: giving Buffy a corporeal villain to fight that poses a larger threat and is more powerful than a vampire, and reminding the audience of Angel’s soullessness. We have entered the golden age of Buffy! The title reflects the literal innocence of everyone at this time in their life (just before and after they lose their virginity), especially Buffy’s vulnerability in her deep yet very innocent love for Angel and her incapability of killing him at the end of the episode. “Dream on, schoolgirl. Your boyfriend is dead.” With that line, we enter the golden age of Buffy.

6.  “Graduation Day, Part 2” (Season 3, Episode 22) — This episode is the perfect climax of the greatest season of Buffy. Buffy learns, from Faith, about the nature of being the Slayer. This episode marks several ascensions: the students are ascending in graduating high school; the mayor is ascending into a demon; et cetera, but more important are the sacrifices that must be made to achieve ascension. The end battle is epic, with major stakes that lead to the tragic deaths of many important characters (the secretly gay football player Larry Blaisdell being one of the most heart-wrenching for me; he had one season of being allowed to be his gay self and STILL be the star footballer, and then he died. I’m crying a few tears as I write this.)

5. “Earshot” (Season 3, Episode 18) — This is maybe the most relatable episode in the entire series, one of the most strikingly real and deafeningly alarming episodes ever on television. In the post-Columbine era, this thing reminded us that maybe direct mass murder isn’t even the scariest thing in our crazy world; maybe that distinct honor goes to how humans as a group can bring specific people to their breaking point. This episode draws us in with a murder-mystery premise and some of the best dialogue in the entire season. I love it for how relevant it has stayed for almost twenty years since it was created. I love it for how well-written it is.

4. “Once More, With Feeling” (Season 6, Episode 7) — “The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.” — Dawn Summers (as written by Joss Whedon). Everything about this episode is perfect. I mean, the idea of people singing out their most deep-seated painful thoughts and secrets is perfection. Sweet is the greatest one-off villain on the entire show, and he’s even more impressive given his rather small amount of screen time. Every single scene in this episode is rich with character. Buffy feels like she is “Going Through the Motions”; for the first time in her life, she doesn’t give a damn about anything going on in the world. She is singing a Disney-like song about being very depressed and giving up hope in general. Sweet leads her on the path of admitting all of her secrets, ending with the revelation to her friends about how they took her out of a literal heaven when they brought her back from death. Tara and Giles, who never really had much in common before, are in similar roles here, trying to save a person they love from going down a very dark path. For Tara, it’s Willow with her magic, and for Giles, it’s Buffy with her post-resurrection depression and dependence on his help. Spike is also conflicted. He feels deep lust for Buffy (which later proves uncontrollable in “Seeing Red”), who won’t give him the time of day but often tortures him with her presence. These are deep, nuanced characters. The songs are all great; the depressing and non-Disney-like meaning of  “Going Through The Motions” contrasts with its natural Disneyish charm; “Standing” is an emotional, introspective soft-rock ballad about Giles’s role in Buffy’s life now that she is an adult; “Under Your Spell” is a love song that glimmers with ironic truths; “What You Feel” is a jazzy, gleeful crowd-pleaser ironic in its intent; “Rest In Peace” is a hard-rock song about the anger that can come with love; “Walk Through The Fire” is a harmonic masterpiece about characters overcoming their fears.

3. “The Body” (Season 5, Episode 16) — In the middle of a very good season of television, we suddenly have this literally musicless interruption that discusses the profound impact death can have on loved ones. This episode tackles profound emotions in every character. It is absolutely perfect in its handling of every single character’s reaction to this loss. Anya’s reaction to Joyce’s death is heartbreaking; she’s never felt anything like this before in her life. The impact of a sudden, very tough loss like Joyce’s on the lives of other people is immense, and that’s what the show captures here. It treats the brutal realities of death in all their horrible simplicity. It has no conventional Buffy-like plot; it is just the characters we have grown to love dealing with all the issues, big and small, that are brought on by death. It is realistic in a way that even few non-fantasy films and TV shows can even aspire to. I love this episode; it’s painful, real, and (sometimes) darkly comedic — just like the loss of a real loved one. And the ending, with its brutal reminder that the real, normal world is still there, waiting for Buffy’s return is heartbreaking. Buffy has to return to the real world because so many lives depend on her existence. Now it’s time to go back to the real world, holding your bleeding heart in your hands and placing it back in your chest so that you can keep going on. Wow.

2. “The Gift” (Season 5, Episode 22) — “The Gift” made me bawl. A lot. “The Gift” begins with a tragic reminder of Buffy’s past, a simple little vampire fight with almost no emotional stakes attached to it. And then she goes back inside and argues with Giles over whether he’s allowed to kill her sister. Dawn is all Buffy has left; her mother is dead; her finances are in serious trouble; her life revolves around killing soulless demons that will murder people unless she stops them. She is a necessary human sacrifice to keep the forces of evil at bay; the First Slayer said that “death is your gift” because the only thing Buffy can do to stop the endless trauma that pokes at her is die. That sucks. The moral discussion between Giles and Buffy is my favorite scene in the episode; two people, both trained to think rationally– even during the apocalypse — disagree on how far they can go to save the world. It’s about the personal versus the rational; the emotional versus the logical. It is logical to kill one person to save the rest of the world, but most of us probably couldn’t pull the trigger ourselves; we couldn’t have such a thing on our conscience, especially when that person is closely related to us. How could we kill everything we still love about ourselves in human form and stay alive in the metaphorical sense of the world?

1. “Passion” (Season 2, Episode 17) — I first saw this episode at the age of eleven, I was lying in bed while watching it. I didn’t sleep that night. This episode is witty, tragic, intense, thoughtful, philosophical, gutsy, morose, operatic, brutal, and most of all, shocking. Angel is an intense, thematically rich villain. Angel, Buffy’s former lover who has lost a soul, talks about passion. Passion is the beating heart in all of us. One could even say that passion is what makes up one’s soul — or, in Angel’s case, one’s lack of a soul. This episode is about the passions of all of the characters. Angel’s horrifying obsession with Buffy is downright painful to watch, especially because the episode is narrated by — and told from the perspective of — Angel. Buffy’s passion is her love and caring for a man she finds sympathetic — a man who lives in the dark while still having a conscience — until he loses his soul, and all hell breaks loose. She feels the need to neutralize Angel without killing him; she still believes that the man she loves is inside somehow. Giles’s passion is one of the most interesting; it ebbs and flows through the episode from passionate love for Jenny to an intense hatred for Angel. One last little side note: I’ve heard (but can’t quite confirm) that before Buffy, David Boreanaz wasn’t pursuing acting; he was apparently discovered by a friend of one of the casting directors who lived nearby and watched Boreanaz walk his dog and saw in Boreanaz everything they were looking for in Angel. If that’s true, then I must truly tip my hat to David Boreanaz. While this would explain some wooden acting early in season one, for Boreanaz to be able to do anything resembling the kind of work he does here with so little acting experience is…well, it’s breathtaking. His performance here is captivating; he embodies this cold, soulless, darkly comedic, slightly melodramatic (yet also intensely passionate) character of Angelus (Angel, when he has no soul, is sometimes referred to as Angelus) to a degree that many seasoned actors would be jealous of.

So that’s my top 10! Hope you all enjoyed this little Buffy geek-out session. And if you haven’t seen the show, just go watch it. It’s the greatest thing ever. Like, now. Like, WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE GO WATCH IT!!!!!!!

Editor: Makena Behnke

The U.S Bureau of Consular Affairs

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By Luke Langlois

Today, I am going to share a resource with you. If you were to collect one million bucket lists, you would likely read of people’s desires to “travel the world” many, many times. However, the U.S Bureau of Consular Affairs, a branch of the Department of State, would most likely tell “world travelers” to hold their horses. You see, the Bureau has a little something called the Travel Advisories, the links for which can be found below. These websites gives the world’s countries a 1-4 ranking, based on how suitable a nation is for American travelers.

Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions

Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution

Level 3: Reconsider Travel

Level 4: Do Not Travel

Let me break down these ranks. A Level 1 country is normally safe to travel to; you would just need to take the usual precautions. Level 2 countries are also usually fine places to travel. They are marked as such due to a slightly higher rate of petty street crimes or an increased risk of terrorist activities. Level 3 countries are not the ideal travel destinations. They usually are marked as having high rates of crime or increased risk of terrorist activity, which is relatively similar to a Level 2 nation. However, Level 3 countries are set apart from Level 2 due to domestic strife. For example, Haiti is marked as Level 3 due to political and civil unrest; the high rates of crime are a result of this. Traveling to Level 4 countries is an extreme risk. If you are bent on traveling to a Level 4 nation, expect resistance at every step of the way. It is important to note, though, that people are only explicitly banned from traveling to the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea; everywhere else is “fair game.”  The Bureau, quite literally, recommends that travelers write their wills, as well as check on their life insurance, before they travel to a Level 4 country. Level 4 countries are usually rampant in crime, especially towards outsiders from the west.  Level 4 countries are, most likely, experiencing deadly domestic conflict, or are under the rule of a violent dictator. Some of the Level 4 countries are even in the midst of a civil war. There are only eleven countries with this designation. The Bureau advises those that travel to Level 4 countries to stay in certain, safer, locations within the nation. These areas tend to be densely populated regions that are somewhat under control of the local government, which makes it easier for a response in case something were to happen to the traveler. There is much more to be seen on the website itself, but this hopefully has given you a good idea of the rankings system.

I am not a traveler, but I enjoy checking the Travel Advisories every once in a while to see what is going on in the world. You see, the media does not tend to focus on domestic foreign affairs unless they’re large and publicized issues that Americans are interested in. To get an idea of what is going on in the world, you would have to really pay attention to the media, or you would have to find international outlets. While nations with stability have credible news sources, many nations do not have seriously credible sources of news.  In short, seeing the state of countries around the world is not an easy thing to do. With this resource, you can see the world at a glance. If you at all are curious, check out the Bureau’s websites below. There’s always something to learn.

https://travelmaps.state.gov/TSGMap/

A map view of the world, with rankings.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/

A list view of the world, with rankings.

Editor: Holden Hartle

Do YOU want to be a Pokemon trainer?

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By Jeremy Cheng, Pokemon Master

Before Thanksgiving, Nintendo published two new games for the Nintendo Switch called Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee! Check out the picture below.


They are both very similar games with a few small differences. Let’s talk about those differences.

Players will get either Pikachu or Eevee, depending on the version that you play.

When choosing Pikachu, we can yell, “Pikachu, I choose you!”

The Pikachu and Eevee that you get at the beginning are not going to “evolve” like most Pokemon do. But, the Pikachu and Eevee that you catch in the wild can evolve.

When using Pikachu and Eevee to enter a battle, the characters are not going to throw a Poke ball to release the Pokemon like in previous versions. Pikachu and Eevee will stand on the player character’s shoulders and jump into the battlefield.


Usually, Pikachu stands on the character’s shoulder, while Eevee sits on character’s head.

The Pikachu and Eevee you get at the beginning are called Partner Pokemon. They can learn special skills that other Pokemon are not able to learn.

In the older versions of the Pokemon games, when players want to catch Pokemon, players have to fight with the Pokemon that they want to catch and throw the Poke ball. In these two versions of the game, players only need to throw the ball. Like in Pokemon Go, there is no battle needed.


The first difference of these games is the outfits. In these games, players can buy different outfits for their partner Pokemon. The clothes that you can buy depend on the version you play.

Secondly, there are some Pokemon that only appear in one version of the game which means that players of both versions have to make Pokemon trades if they want to collect all the Pokemon. It provides a chance for players to be able to interact with other players and gives the game a community.


Players who have played Pokemon Go on the phone can transfer their Pokemon from Pokemon Go to Let’s go Pikachu or Let’s go Eevee.


There is an accessory called the Poke Ball Plus. Players can use Poke Ball Plus to walk their Pokemon in real life. Crazy!


As for me, I prefer Let’s Go Pikachu. When I was young, I imagined that I could have a Pikachu just like Ash, the famous character of the TV show who has the first generation Pikachu. This game lets me realize my childhood dream.


Editor: Luke Langlois

Top 25 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episodes: Countdown #11-25

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By Leo Milmet, Buffy the Vampire Fanatic

Warning: There are spoilers for all 7 seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer in this post. Also, this post is designed for people who are very familiar with the series–there will be references to certain scenes, lines, etc. that simply may not make sense if you aren’t at least a casual fan of Buffy. That said, on with the post.

 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the most amazing television show ever to grace the small screen (and therefore, us) with its presence. In honor of its glory, and honestly just because I love it so so incredibly much, I wanted to list my top 25 favorite episodes. However, I have so much material here that I have decided to separate it into two posts. Here is #25-#11. Log in next week for the top ten Buffy episodes ever.

 

#25. “After Life” (Season 6, Episode 3) — This episode is both terrifying and emotional, fun and profound, bitter and sweet. And I always tear up a bit during Buffy’s conversation with Spike. That moment is perfection.

 

  1. “Selfless” (Season 7, Episode 5) — Anya is a great character, and her unique disconnection with humanity and traditional morality is showcased in “Selfless” more than in any other episode.

 

  1. “The Wish” (Season 3, Episode 10) — Cordelia (stereotypical popular girl)  has always been a hilarious character, but I think this might be one of her greatest moments. Her superficiality in wishing that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale is believable, and I love Vampire Willow and Vampire Xander. Points off for using the clichéd “be careful what you wish for” story technique, but it more than makes up for it with its unique dystopia and hilarity. Anya’s demon face still haunts my dreams.

 

  1. “Tabula Rasa” (Season 6, Episode 8) — GILES, GILES! The characters’ amnesia creates so many hilarious jokes; i.e. there’s a “loan shark” shark paid off with kittens. It’s wonderful seeing the characters act like I would (e.g. being terrified of and running away from the vampires) as opposed to their usual immense bravery and courage.

 

  1. “Dead Things” (Season 6, Episode 13) illustrates the horrible power of false guilt.

 

  1. “Band Candy” (Season 3, Episode 6) — This episode’s character-based zaniness is hilarious. I love how turning the adult characters into their teenage selves ties into the main plot of The Mayor’s attempt to take over Sunnydale. The incredible chemistry between Joyce and Giles is honestly the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in a ‘90s network TV show–except maybe the Buffy and Angel relationship in season two, or Xander and Faith in “The Zeppo.” But y’all get my point.

 

  1. “Villains” (Season 6, Episode 20) — This great episode, while by no means perfect, makes you think and ask yourself, “How far is too far?” “What actions are truly irredeemable?” and, “Is murderous revenge justifiable?” The episode does all of this while being one of the most action-packed episodes of the series, with a villain made only more terrifying as she morphs from soft-spoken nerd to vengeful grieving murderess.

 

  1. “The Replacement” (Season 5, Episode 3) — Xander is one of the most nuanced characters in the series. He is warm, funny, and humorous but with an awesome subtle-but-serious dark side, and this episode knows exactly how to deconstruct such a character. He is literally shown his potential as he gradually grows into a self-confident man in every sense of the word. That’s Xander’s arc throughout the series, growing up, and this episode shows that more than any other.

 

  1. “The Zeppo” (Season 3, Episode 13) — Another end of the world is gonna happen from some demon group or another. Excuse me while I channel Vampire Willow and say, “Bored now.” Oh, wait, even the writers know that, so they decided to make the “B” plot the “A” plot by focusing on Xander’s encounter with a group of undead psychos. And, I know it sounds lame, but anyone who’s seen it knows how awesome it is. And that ending? One of the best in the series.

 

  1. “Prophecy Girl” (Season 1, Episode 12) — I can’t imagine what people in 1997 thought of this episode. Just imagine this: you’re tuning into your favorite Monday-night schlock horror show, the ridiculously-titled (and, at the time, rather ridiculous) Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which has potential to become a really good series, but it never (yet) really gets there, and you kinda like its cheesy grade-B horror vibes. Then you see THIS EPISODE, and Buffy completely changes. Sarah Michelle Gellar is one of the greatest actresses of the ‘90s. I see you all laughing at this statement as I write it, but, my God, it’s true. The rawness of her emotion when talking to Giles about her imminent death is priceless, and the use of the Buffy theme music just makes you wanna get up and scream: “HELL YEAH!”

 

  1.  “Storyteller” (Season 7, Episode 16) — The biggest issue with Season 7 is its unfocused-ness. The introduction of too many “Potentials” always rubbed me the wrong way. But, this episode shows that Buffy will always be able to do right by its most important and interesting characters. I mean, come on, this episode is just one long running joke about the ridiculousness of Andrew Wells’ character, and it works so well. It’s funny, charming, and in the end, deeply, deeply moving. It’s about redemption and faith and the influence of The Blair Witch Project on modern horror and love and sacrifice and the awesomeness (and not-so-awesomeness) of nerd-dom.

 

  1. “Grave” (Season 6, Episode 22) — I got two words for ya. Yellow. Crayon. This episode had me bawling the first couple times I watched it, and I rarely cry in movies or TV. Xander’s monologue is one of the greatest scenes ever to be shown on television. The way the writers have, from the first episode, built up to that one moment in both of these characters’ lives is truly epic. While the rest of the episode is great but not truly on the level of the others you’re about to see, the “yellow crayon” monologue is, for me, maybe the greatest moment in all of Buffy.

 

  1. “Normal Again” (Season 6, Episode 17) — This episode is freaky. Buffy is tempted with the chance to live in a fantasy that, compared to her real world, is a paradise. She is presented with the chance to NOT be the “chosen one.” This has been her biggest internal long-term goal since the first season. Though she obviously accepts her calling, she doesn’t truly want to give up her life for a cause that is bigger than her (she merely deems it a necessary sacrifice). And here, she may have a chance at being “Normal Again,” and it’s tempting. It really is. But this episode is about waking up, and facing the true trials, tribulations, and horrors of what the real world presents, refusing to live in a fantasy.

 

  1. “I Only Have Eyes For You” (Season 2, Episode 19) — First of all, a round of applause for the beginning of the career of the great John Hawkes. Second of all, James is one of the greatest one-off villains ever. There’s a James in all of us, even in those who hate him most. He wants to be loved and can’t find a way to properly and appropriately express his love, so that love turns to hate. What could be more tragically relatable? Also incredibly well-done is Giles’s totally illogical (and yet so fitting of a man in true love) desperation to believe that the spirit possessing the school is that of Jenny Calendar, his now-dead love interest. And that ending is so bittersweet and moving, simultaneously reminding us even more of the noble, tragically heroic Angel of the past and the stomach-churning new reign of Angelus, brought forth by none other than our heroine, Buffy Summers.

 

  1. “Chosen” (Season 7, Episode 22) — These characters have come so far and done so much over these crazy seven years. Only when one considers the Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Giles from “Welcome to the Hellmouth” and then considers the moment this same gang facing the literal Big Bad of all Big Bads (the First Evil) does one understand the epically rich characters of this series. This episode has some incredibly character-rich moments like the First Evil’s midnight taunting sessions, Xander’s great line “That’s my girl. Always making the stupid decision,’ and of course that little smile on Buffy’s face at the very end that indicates that Buffy finally is NOT the “chosen one,” the “one girl in all the world.” In “Chosen,” Buffy has gone from her “chosen one” status into one empowered woman, who can bring one glimmer of hope for the survival of humanity and its vanquish over evil. Her character arc is now complete, and in the end, just like in one of the fairy tales she’d probably (and rightfully so) call lame and sexist, this TV scream-princess finally gets what she wants (to regain a “normal life”). This, while imperfect, is an incredibly satisfying conclusion.

 

Stay tuned for the top ten Buffy episodes, which will be revealed soon in a future post!

 

Editor: Holden Hartle

Ode to “Bohemian Rhapsody”

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By Holden Hartle

 

Queen has been in the media a lot recently, largely due to the movie Bohemian Rhapsody that came out last month. Since the release of the movie, Queen seems to be all that most music critics are talking about–a bit of a blast from the past. The song “Bohemian Rhapsody” is something where everyone goes, “Oh yeah, that’s a good song.” But, how did the song come to be?

The recent movie explains that after Queen released their first album, Freddie Mercury wanted to do something big and different, combining the vocal extremities of opera and the punchiness of rock n’ roll. And, after a long period of time composing in the country, the song was complete.

There was a lot of debate over whether or not “Bohemian Rhapsody” should be released as a single, as the song is almost six minutes in length. The record company was worried that the song was too long and that maybe it was a bit too avant garde. Needless to say, the song was released and was a huge hit. Its uniqueness is something that still strikes people today.

But what if the song was never released? Personally, I think the song is the work of a musical genius. This song fuses balladic lyrics with hard rock instruments, and operatic vocals. Yet, somehow, with all of these contrasting parts that dip into different genres, the song still remains coherent, and something that most people can immediately recognize from the piano introduction. But what if the song was never given the recognition? It is very possible that if Mercury wasn’t so adamant on the song being released as a single, it would have just been released as a part of the album and overlooked by a lot of people. Only the more hardcore fans would have listened to the song, because let’s be honest, even I only know Queen’s greatest hits.

It is kind of heartbreaking to think of a world without that song. Last year I went to a Green Day concert, and the introduction went like this. All the fans are talking to each other and suddenly, the lights go out. Then, in darkness, “Bohemian Rhapsody” plays before the band enters the stage. I was astonished as what seemed like every person in the stadium knew every word to the ballad. During the concert itself, Billie Joe Armstrong uses many of the crowd-hyping methods that Freddie Mercury did, i.e. the call and response method of singing a riff and having the crowd sing it back to you.

But now, back to the song at hand. Imagine creating a song with so much influence that a band from decades in the future will play your song in tribute, and that hundreds of thousands of people will be singing this ballad like it’s a hymn. But now imagine if that song was never released. Sure, life would go on, but only a select few would know of this fantastic song and its beauty.

The song deserves all of the media attention that it is currently receiving. The song has had several resurgences to the top of the charts, and, in my personal opinion, the song should remain on the charts for all time. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is so forward-thinking and is definitely unique from most other rock n’ roll ballads. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is truly beautiful.

Editor: Leo Milmet

Pizza: It’s A Superfood

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By Luke Langlois, Pizza Enthusiast

 

There are many things that people need to do to maintain the strength of their frail bodies. The most important, as well as difficult, aspect of everyone’s health is their diet. Today, I am offering up a quick strategy to overcome the challenge of consuming healthy meals. Just eat pizza!

According to most qualified people, healthy eating is defined as consuming a variety of foods with a variety of proteins, carbohydrates, and other nutrients with complicated names (calor-WHAT?). The same qualified people typically say that a healthy diet includes the following:  grains, fruits, vegetables, dairies, and meats. Pizza includes all of these things. Let us dive deeper.

The crust is the base of all pizza. Without crust, you have a gloomy, unstructured pile of cheese, sauce, and whatever else you decide to put on your pizza. Without crust, there is no pizza. Besides delivering the delectable tastes to our buds, the crust is a grain, one of the essential food groups. So it begins. Pizza includes one of the five essential food groups.

The tomato sauce is what separates breadsticks from pizza. Any real pizza connoisseur will tell you that the sauce makes or breaks a pizza. Without sauce, again, there is no pizza. Though, more importantly, the sauce is the source of the fruit group. Some people consider tomatoes a fruit, others a vegetable. Either way, it’s essential to your health. I personally recommend that you consider the tomato sauce a fruit. It is much more difficult to add an obscure fruit to your pizza than it is a small vegetable. Regardless, it is now evident that pizza includes THREE of the five essential food groups.

When people think of dairy, they think of cows. When they think of cows, they think of milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, or angry vegetarians. Now, here’s a challenge: which of these items is found on our pizza? It’s cheese. Cheese, the expensive fur coat of all pizzas, is another food that is proven to bring you to a state of well-being. It also brings us one group closer to the mythical promised land of five food groups.

Pizza sounds like a superfood already, but it gets better. There are a million different types of meat that can be put on a pizza. Typically, there’s pepperoni, sausage, or ham. But, you do not necessarily have to be typical. Who knows, maybe a nice filet mignon would be a fine pizza topping. Whatever meat you choose to top your pizza with, this final piece of the puzzle proves that pizza is indeed, a superfood.

Eating healthy may appear to be difficult, but the solution is simple. No longer will you have to endlessly browse superfluous social media accounts searching for an impossible meal plan. Just eat pizza. Your cells will thank you.

Editor: Leo Milmet

Review of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun

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By James Zheng

Hey guys, today I got completely new stuff for you! I am not recommending the overwhelmingly popular anime, but I am recommending some meaningful anime. Today, I am going to present a unique anime for you. When you take a look at this anime title, you might think something like, ”What is this about? Publishing a magazine every month?” Well, that would be quite boring, right? Although the title seems really confusing, the story is perfectly arranged. In addition, the rhythm of story always sticks with the plot. As you are watching it, it won’t be too hard to follow the storyline.

Monthly Girls’ was produced by Doga Kobo animation studio, which is a pretty famous company. Doga Kobo’s anime style can be described as “cute.” Among the realm of anime, Doga Kobo dominates in character design. The company is so specialized in designing the appearance of characters that Doga Koba’s works are very attractive to teenagers. Monthly Girls’ was published by Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd, and Media factory, and they both are the brand company of Kadokawa Corporation.

In short, Monthly Girls’ is a romantic comedy. But, the events that happen in the story do not follow the normal routine of romantic comedy. There will actually be many “What the heck?” moments. The funny and surprising storyline goes on for 12 episodes; right after you finish one episode, you might want to move on to next one immediately.

 

In Monthly Girls’, Sakura Chiyo is a heroine who wants to express her love to the hero, the famous romance author Nozaki Umetarou. When she comes to Nozaki, she is feeling extremely nervous which makes her say the wrong words to Nozaki. “I am your fan!” When those words come out, Nozaki freezes. And all the sudden he replies, “You could come to my house tonight.” Then, the story begins . . . but not as you expect. Basically, to give you a sense of the setting of the story rather than spoiling it, I would say that’s the most intriguing part of Episode 1. Watch it; see what happens.

Before I decided to recommend this anime, I already knew that many people prefer action anime. On the other hand, I am saying that we could switch our taste of anime by seeing different anime styles. Moreover, Monthly Girls’ definitely will not disappoint.

 

Editor: Holden Hartle