Who Watches the Rewatchers

Alan O.W. Barnes and Jarrod Longbons

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AFTER SHOWS
UPDATED WEEKLY

A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Rewatch Podcast

10/31/2025

S2E18: Killed by Death – Buffy Gets a Cold and Fights Death in a Bowler Hat

Buffy has the flu—and a leftover Season 1 script. In Killed by Death, our slayer lands in a hospital haunted by creepy kids, nonsensical science, and Der Kindestod: a hat-wearing, eyeball-extending monster who preys on sick children. Alan and Jarrod dig into the episode’s disjointed metaphor, its Nightmare on Elm Street vibes, and its unlikely roots in a lost Season 1 production. We debate whether kids can see the world more clearly than adults, and whether Xander is the heartbeat of the Scooby Gang—or just its loudest member. Plus: vintage iceboxes, terrifying angelic toddlers, German compound words, and the slow redemption of Cordelia. #BuffyRewatch#KilledByDeath#BuffyHasACold#BtVSSeason2#DerKindestod#NightmareOnElmStreetVibes#HospitalHorror#ScoobyGang#CordeliaRising#MonsterOfTheWeek#BuffyPodcast#SlayerInScrubs#JossWhedonVerse#GhostsKidsSee#XanderDrama#FloppyDiskLogic

46 min
10/24/2025

S2E17: Passion – The Ecstasy of Grief and the Horror of Obsession

In one of Buffy’s most haunting episodes, Passion explores love’s shadow side. Angelus becomes a predator of intimacy, creeping into bedrooms, drawing Buffy as she sleeps, and leaving messages of death in his wake. Alan and Jarrod dissect Angel’s chilling voiceover, comparing its poetic meditation on passion to the writings of Plato, Aquinas, Nietzsche, and the Passion of the Christ. We discuss the voyeuristic camera work, Jenny’s redemptive arc, Willow’s grief, Giles’ fury, and the unbearable silence that follows one of the series’ most devastating losses. Also: floppy disks, Orb of Thessaly paperweights, and Joyce finally realizing something’s very wrong with her daughter’s love life. #BuffyRewatch#BtVSPassion#AngelusKills#JennyCalendar#WatcherWatch#BuffyPodcast#EcstasyOfGrief#ScoobyGang#GothicTV#PassionOfTheChrist#OrbOfThessaly#BtVSSeason2#VoyeuristicHorror#FloppyDiskOfDoom#GilesHeartbreak#VampireObsession#WhedonVerse

52 min
10/18/2025

S2E16: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered – Love Spells, Obsession, and the Limits of Consent

It’s Valentine’s Day in Sunnydale, and love is in the air—along with a whole lot of magical chaos. In this delightfully unhinged episode, Xander tries to win Cordelia back with a love spell, only to trigger a mass hysteria of obsessive desire from nearly every woman in town (including Buffy, Amy, Jenny, and even Joyce!). Alan and Jarrod dive deep into the episode’s themes of obsession vs. love, magical manipulation, and the dangers of performative romance. We talk 90s tropes, serial storytelling, deductive vs. inductive structure, and the comedic brilliance of doors that open the wrong way. Plus: Cordelia’s moment of growth, Giles’ exasperation, and the awkwardness of being a teen rat with a need for cheese. #BuffyRewatch #BtVSBewitched #ValentinesDayChaos #ZanderSpellGoneWrong #BuffyPodcast #LoveVsObsession #ScoobyGang #CordeliaCharacterArc #MagicAndConsent #TeenWitchProblems #BtVSSeason2 #NeedForCheese #JoyceSeducesZander #GilesIsSoTired #InductiveStorytelling #WhoWatchesTheWatchers

1 hr
10/10/2025

S2E15: Phases – Werewolves, Masculinity, and Monster Metaphors

It’s Buffy meets Teen Wolf as we dive into Phases—the series’ first werewolf episode. Oz is adorable and tortured, Larry is overcompensating, and Giles is packing heat (well, a tranquilizer gun). Alan and Jarrod unpack werewolf lore from Peter Stump to St. Patrick, discuss Jeph Loeb's unexpected connection to Teen Wolf and Buffy, and explore the episode’s layered metaphors: toxic masculinity, repressed identity, and the animal inside us all. Willow’s heart breaks, Buffy’s strength shines, and Cain the misogynist werewolf hunter gets exactly what he deserves. Plus: locker room hijinks, a feminist critique of monster tropes, and Alan’s own werewolf comic origin story. #BuffyRewatch#BtVSPhases#WerewolfEpisode#OzIsTheWerewolf#BuffyPodcast#ToxicMasculinity#MonsterMetaphors#SlayerStrength#BtVSSeason2#FeministBuffy#JephLoebTrivia#SaintPatrickWerewolves#TeenWolfThrowback#LarryTheSheep#SilverBulletLore#ComplexCreatures

1 hr
10/03/2025

S2E14: Innocence – Soul Loss, Rocket Launchers, and 90s Melodrama

Buffy loses her innocence—literally and metaphorically—and the emotional fallout hits hard. In Innocence, we explore Angel's tragic transformation into Angelus, Willow’s heartbreak, Jenny’s betrayal, and Giles’ grace. Alan breaks down cinematic one-ers and Whedon’s directorial growth, while Jarrod dives deep into the thematic richness of guilt, betrayal, and sexual vulnerability in 90s teen storytelling. The Judge turns out to be a lame Big Bad, but the real villain is emotional manipulation. Plus: mall battles, rocket launchers, and one of the most emotionally raw episodes of the series. #BuffyRewatch#BtVSInnocence#AngelusReturns#BuffyPodcast#ScoobyGangDrama#WillowHeartbreak#JossWhedonDirecting#RocketLauncherRedemption#CinematicOneShot#TeenMelodrama#VampireHeartbreak#BtVSSeason2#GilesForTheWin#NoWeaponFormed#InnocenceLost

53 min
09/26/2025

S2E13: Surprise – Midpoint Reversals and Birthday Trauma

This is the moment we've been waiting for. In Surprise, Buffy’s dream foreshadows catastrophe, Drusilla rises while Spike falls, and Angel’s fate begins to twist. We dive deep into story structure, symbolic dreamscapes, and the metaphors of desire, duty, and disillusionment. Alan expresses his theory about Claddagh ring marketing conspiracies, and Jarrod drops some truth on teen melodrama and breaks down Charles Taylor’s “Age of Authenticity,”. Meanwhile, Oz asks Willow out, Jenny Calendar’s secret identity is revealed, and Angel makes the worst travel plan ever. Plus: undead arms, surprise parties, and an emotionally confusing rainstorm. #BuffyRewatch#BuffyTheVampireSlayer#SurpriseEpisode#AngelusRises#BuffyPodcast#BtVSSeason2#CladdaghConspiracies#StoryStructureNerds#AgeOfAuthenticity#WillowAndOz#GothicTV#JossWhedonVerse#DreamSequenceDissection#JennyCalendarReveal#SpikeAndDru#WatchersWatching

49 min
04/04/2025

Bad Eggs

Alan and Jarrod discuss "Bad Eggs," the twelfth episode of the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the twenty-fourth episode in the series. Written by Marti Noxon and directed by David Greenwalt, it was originally broadcast on January 12, 1998, on The WB network.

43 min
03/28/2025

Ted

Alan and Jarrod discuss "Ted," the eleventh episode of the second seasonof Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the twenty-third episode in the series. Written by Joss Whedon with David Greenwalt and directed by Bruce Seth Green, it was originally broadcast on December 8, 1997, on The WB network.

56 min

A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Rewatch Podcast

Creator

Alan O.W. Barnes and Jarrod Longbons
Years Active

2024 - 2025
Episodes

30
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Alan O.W. Barnes and Jarrod Longbons
Show Website

Who Watches the Rewatchers