Season 2, Episode 9: What’s My Line, Parts 1 and 2

The Cleveland Hellmouth

In this episode!

• Mark wonders if Angel is the sexiest man in the world; Katherine says even in the universe of the show, maybe not…
• We love Kendra, but Mark wonders about her accent.
• Katherine is the grammar police and explains slay vs. slew.
• Mark says Buffy the show is all about toxic masculinity; Katherine says but what about Xander and …
• Mark says vampires aren’t sexist; rather, vampires are racist and/or speciesist.
• Mark points out that not only is Spike emotionally fragile, Mark thinks that the Big Bads in Buffy are basically bad at being bad. They lack focus and are too impulsive.
• Destiny and fate vs. free will: on which side does Buffy the show land? Katherine leans toward free will.
• Have any of you noticed that people who love Buffy, the Vampire Slayer are really cool and interesting?
• Katherine loves Drusilla and Spike; Mark, not so much.
• We both love Oz.
• Career talk—note that Buffy is told she should be in law enforcement and Xander a prison guard. Buffy worries she doesn’t have a future, and this episode makes it clear that Xander doesn’t think he has a future either.
• Mark says there is a Beauty and the Beast feel to this episode, especially the scene at the skating rink.
• Mark is a little concerned about who the Big Bad of the episode is going to be. If it’s Spike then what are we waiting for?

Shout outs and interesting tidbits

Shout out to Jessica Branch who suggested that the Hellmouth is in University Circle, more specifically, under the Cleveland Museum of Art and CWRU. She argues this has to do with Jane Jacobs’s theory about urban spaces that are deserted at night. Mark takes this on in the episode. Katherine argues the Hellmouth is probably in Old Brooklyn under Rhodes High School.

Shout out to Tony Martin whose photographs of West 3rd and Quigley make the argument that the Hellmouth is there.

Shout out to Cathy Podojil.