There's No Particular Reason I'm Doing This For This Episode - Tumblr Posts

random 'Inca Mummy Girl' thoughts:

In the museum, Buffy is disappointed her friends think she solves all her problems with violence. Then later, Giles agrees to let her go to the dance to end their training session, because when she trains while angry she unintentionally hurts him. Her response: "Yay! I win :)". Don't know if I have anything to say about that, but I'm definitely paying more attention to Buffy's characterisation on this rewatch, and noticing more of her Faith-like traits.

I think of Xander's jealousy over Buffy as a Season One thing, but it seems to be sticking around, and I am extremely tired of it. Hope it doesn't last much longer.

The Scoobies' assumption that Ampata can translate an ancient Incan relic just because they're South American is so wild I struggle not to read it as a joke at their expense. (Though given the show's approach to other cultures - as exemplified by this episode especially - it almost certainly isn't.)

It's interesting that this episode doesn't try to play itself as a mystery - the audience is never kept in the dark about what's happening, even as the Scoobies are. It's much to the episode's benefit - it allows Ampata to be an actual character, where a mystery would likely keep her at too much of a distance. It doesn't just make her sympathetic - it makes her a viewpoint character, which makes the Buffy parallels much more tangible.

Speaking of which, this episode has a Garth Marenghi approach to subtext, but honestly I kind of like that. It's nice to have subtext even I can notice sometimes.

I didn't remember going in that Oz first appeared in this episode, so that was a nice surprise. But then seeing Jonathan was even more of one - I really wasn't expecting to see him so soon. Strange that such a small role became a recurring character when so many Sunnydale students appear in one episode and then are immediately forgotten about, but I guess he does give a good, distinctive performance.

Sorry Buffy, but "I'll say one thing for you Incan mummies - you don't kiss and tell," is just a terrible quip. And you can tell Buffy was thinking of it on the journey - as she runs to the museum she's thinking to herself 'I need to say something funny about kissing, I guess?', and she does a bad job. I think she needs to take some improv classes or something if she's gonna keep doing this.