Love how they changed the opening credits for this episode. Such a great detail.

Willow to Jonathan in S3 "Earshot": "Fantasies are fun, aren't they, Jonathan? We all have fantasies where we're powerful and respected. Where people pay attention to us. But sometimes the fantasy isn't enough, is it Jonathan? Sometimes we have to make it so people don't ignore us. Make them pay attention." I have no idea if that was on purpose, but in my head canon it totally was.

"What was? What Was? What was that?" Three excellent questions.

My favorite part of this episode is how casually Buffy makes Jonathon's coffee. Neither react to it as if it were a common occurrence. This is one of the funnest Buffy eps. When Danny Strong, Jonathan's actor, won an Oscar recently I thought, "Jonathan are you at it again?"

2:37 ..."Why is Jonathan in all the credits?"... What do you mean? He always been in the credits. Jonathan is... well, Jonathan. Haven't you been paying attention to the show so far?

1. Yes, I think Buffy said that on purpose to mess with Riley. Just to even the score a bit-- in a flirty kind of way. 2. I think what the Initiative is thinking about their escaped demon pet is "It turns out Walsh and Angleman were corrupt and insane, but they're dead now so us soldiers can get back to protecting people from the Hostile Sub-Terrestrials like we were supposed to be doing." 3. Mine is a very unpopular opinion among the fandom, but I actually really like Adam as a villain, pontificating and all. He's a callback to the original novel of Frankenstein, in which (unlike all the many movies) the creature is both articulate and very philosophical-- he's even the first-person narrator of a big chunk of it, when he tells Frankenstein all that happened after he left the laboratory. I also like the contrast between Adam's outwardly calm, rationalist demeanour against actions which are plainly deranged; particularly in this episode where his line about everyone else being "only shadows" is a profoundly sociopathic thing to believe. And I finally like that he's a sharp contrast to the hammy, melodramatic, and comical villains of the previous seasons (the Master, Angelus, and the Mayor). It saves the show from becoming repetative that he's so different. Of course, I do recognize that this is a very minority opinion; most fans miss the hamminess, melodrama, and comedy of the previous villains and find Adam's cold faux-rationalism boring. I understand that, but I take the liberty of liking him, simply as a matter of personal taste, even so.

The 75 different emotions you moved through seeing Jonathan “sounds like you could use my help”

Last time we saw Jonathan he was giving Buffy the Class Protector award. His speech still brings tears to my eyes. It was so heartfelt and moving.

Cass, you're hilarious and we love you for it. I can't believe we literally saw your brain go "Cannot compute" to the first few minutes of the show 🤣❤

Among other things, this is a satirical tribute to what once was (and may still be, I don't know) a widespread fanfic trope: The Mary Sue story. If you read a Buffy fic that out of nowhere introduces a new character who is so magnetic, beautiful, and heroic, immediately accepted as everyone's friend, that's a Mary Sue, a way for the author to insert their fantasy self into the story. That's what Jonathan does. I've read people speculating that Joss and company were aware of this kind of story and so decided it would be fun and funny to do one themselves, but I have no idea if that's true.

In Jane Espenson's original script, after Buffy whispered "Jonathan" and the screen went black, there was going to be her voice saying over the credits "I was kidding!". But looks like that bit was dropped in the final version.

Ah, I love watching reactors do this episode more than most of them, your initial confusion is SOOOOO entertaining lol

The set design department must have had SO MUCH fun on this episode. I love pausing and admiring all the Jonathan merch and easter eggs on rewatches!

Sometimes, the show throws you bizarre curveballs. It's best to just roll with it and see where it takes you. "Are they going to talk about the Initiative's pet demon?" Meanwhile, they are talking about Adam at that moment. Another Jonathan heavy episode, it must be written by Jane Espenson. The last time we saw Jonathan was Graduation Day, and before that, The Prom when he gave Buffy the umbrella. This episode was likely on the more expensive side as props, the art department, and the editor all had a lot of extra work to do.

I think of this as the 'Doppelgangland' of season 4, so funny. Love how it drops the viewer in the deep end and leaves us to swim for ourselves. It's especially funny how Spike keeps calling Buffy 'Betty'.

In the Buffy universe, remember Newton's third law for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

Marc Blucas played basket ball in college, so his basket ball on the dorm room door is a reference to that.

I agree I'd be nice to see Jonathan again! See if he matured, grew as a person and all☺️

We just about needed a "Why ?!" counter in the corner of the screen as Cass was grappling with the new reality. lol

Remember that Johnathan presented Buffy with the "Class Protector" trophy at the prom.

I think the other thing about Riley not realizing it wasn't Buffy, is they've only been dating several weeks at this point. It's not like he's known her for years. And she's done some odd stuff around him before, like when she was going to marry spike.

I’m glad that you chose “confused face” for your thumbnail to this episode. This is the episode for it. lol

And now you can understand why a lot of us Buffy fans consider April 1st (or April Fool’s day) as Jonathan Day. We all make posts glorifying how awesome Jonathan is. Danny Strong is actually aware of this.

One of my favorite filler episodes. Always liked Jonathan and the actor Danny Stong. He is actually a very successful screen writer and has even won emmys.

Great reaction, I love your style, it really feels like I'm hanging out and re-watching with a friend and talking about it as we go. This is exactly how i watch this show lol

I love this episode. It still moves the narrative along whilst being comedy, and sad, 'filler'. Interestingly, the gang not believing Buffy is fairly common. Two examples being the Puppet Show from s1 and the first few episodes of this season.

Jonathan's girlfriends are the Costello twins, also know for being Juggy Dance Squad girls on the Man Show.

Hi, I've been watching your reactions since the beginning of Season 3 but I'm really bad at commenting. I just wanted to let you know that I really really love watching your videos and I always have fun! I love the way you watch Buffy and the way you're always analysing everything! Thank you for always making my day a more magical. Much love to you 🌻🌷💕✨

Yeah - but the main thing to remember is that Giles should not be embarrassed that he has the Jonathon swimsuit calendar

This channel needs to be named Cass Theorizes or Cass Imagines Lets face it, Cass puts a lot of effort into "wht's gonna happen?" far more than into reacting.

Where a lot of reactors didn't know what was really happening until it was revealed, you seemed to have figured it out ahead of time. One of the advantages of pausing the episodes, I guess. You can talk through what you're thinking at that exact moment.

I like house you keep calling Johnathan's place a "fancy office" That is clearly a mansion.

One of the funnest episodes. These last 3 episodes saved the season for me.

An entire universe made of shrimp? Wow. Sounds interesting. I would not stay there long.

I would assume the reason Buffy can tell something wrong is related to whatever gives Slayers prophetic dreams. I'm still watching the reaction so hopefully the show didn't just up and state that.

"Don't hate me for shipping it." Welcome to Bike land! (some people say Spuffy)

it's so funny, your facial expression is exactly what all of us thought the first time we saw this. "what is going on?"

I love this episode very funny Miss u Angel and Cordy

This episode was so random I loved it

Jonathan didn't invent the Internet?!

If I am not mistaken the last time Jonathan showed was the prom giving Buffy the award for class protector and maybe fighting the mayor.

02:37 400 excellent questions

Hey Cass, did you buy the 2024 Johnathan Swimsuit Calendar yet??

We all shared your confusion watching it our first times. I hope you were paying attention because important information about Adam was revealed too

Yes, sure! Forrest, *a 20 years old private,* should have become the leader of a super secret military base / operation. 😅 What else? Movie star? Best seller writer? Maybe a sponsorship deal with a sports shoes brand? These things don't happen! 😂

I feel much the same way about Jonathan in this episode as I do about Wanda in "WandaVision". ***Don't read this comment if you haven't seen "WandaVision", as I will definitely be including spoilers.*** . . . . . . . . Wanda took an entire town prisoner for an extended period of time to play out her fantasy that Vision was still alive and they had a life together. The townsfolk "loved" her, everyone was "happy", and things couldn't be going better; except, everyone was a "sock puppet", as Buffy puts it, and inside, everyone was really miserable and afraid and just wanted it to end. The difference is, we were supposed to see Wanda as a "hero" at the end of it all who just wanted her lover back so they could live a "normal" life. But she was just as bad as Jonathan; worse, in fact, because we kept getting hints, small *and* large, that Wanda knew what she was doing was wrong and kept doing it anyway. People kept confronting her, telling her to let everyone go, and she refused to do it. I'd say more, but it would include spoilers not only for Wanda's progression but also Jonathan's.

The writers needed a week or two off, I figured. But the ones that filled in their places, Good Jobs. They even threw in an little ADAM in there, also. That is the only explanation that makes sense to me. LMAO!!!

The reason Buffy susses it out is because of what The Slayer is at the core. She's an apex predator whose lineage is unbroken since the beginning of time, so that every lesson learned, every successful kill is encoded into pattern recognition and passed on to the next Slayer. Actually, she's THE apex predator, because she hunts the predators of Humanity, itself an apex predator. Hunting is what she does. It's ALL she does. She doesn't sniff the air for her prey...she hunts on the borders of Reality and sniffs Time itself. She would still be the most dangerous human on Earth even without superstrength and Slayer-fu. As it is she's a lioness with a 3 digit IQ and an opposable thumb.

During the opening act, we are supposed to be confused.

Doyle! I love this episode. A wonderful re-fresh after all the Faith craziness. There's a fantastic solution to the season's big-bad buried in this episode too.

24 years + almost a month after first airing, this little filler episode's commentary on certain kinds of multi-media fame seems just as relevant, if not more. And I like that while it certainly makes a point about people being famous and admired for actually very little, it also acknowledges that for some people this kind of hero worship does fulfill a genuine need.

Take a drink every single time Jonathan's face appears on screen. Don'rt get alcohol poisoning now. 🤣

8:10 that's the problem with feelings. They aren't always Fair 🤷 We can know something logically, but that doesn't stop us from feeling the way we feel, logic be damned

Superstar was a strange episode that a lot of fans loved and disliked in equal measure. Personally I loved it, Jonathan being the central character was an unusual concept, harping back to Earshot when he felt so useless and unwanted he was going to commit suicide. Here we see him as a James Bond type hero who can basically do anything and is universally loved. Even at the end when he talks to Buffy once reality is restored Buffy once again doesn't judge him but as in Earshot offers her help and support showing who the true hero and Superstar is. Great comedy at the end when Buffy and Riley are aboput to make out and she whispers 'Jonathan'.

Jonathan all of a sudden becoming a "bad ass demon hunter" may be unbelievable, but somebody becoming a "rogue demon hunter" is definitely believable! 😏

HELP THE TIMESTAMPS FOR ME ARE TTPD SONGS 😭

You're right that it's not fair to blame Riley. Not only had Riley never met Faith, he has zero experience with magic and she was actively pretending to act like Buffy. Literally any expectation on him to see through the deception is preposterous. "Feeling" like he should have seen through it isn't anything. Hell, even Buffy stabbed Giles in the chest when he was turned into a monster, and he was trying to convey to her that it was him and she knows about magic and other stuff that was going on.

i feel about taylor swift in real life the way the audience does about jonathan in this episode

The original run of the show and the DVDs don't have the previously on, and I gotta say, it definitely feels better without it. The reveal here when he turns around, you already know who it is from the previously on. Wonder why they decided to add that into reruns and streaming? Almost feels like they're saying, "Hey, you're not smart enough to remember who this character is because you haven't seen them in a dozen episodes. So let's spoil the fact that they are showing back up to make sure you dummies can keep up with the show!" Or maybe for people who just tune into an episode here or there and don't watch the series in a row? I dunno, but either way it's a shame they shove those in there.

Interesting idea. It stretched a bit long for me because it was mostly just a series of skits around this one joke. IMO it missed a big opportunity to explore Buffy as she could have been without the weight of all her responsibility.. and then to take all that responsibility back on.

Good news, this is a brilliant ep! Bad news, this is the halfway point, you now have fewer eps of Buffy to watch than you have watched. Unfair of Buffy to be mad at Riley, if Faith fooled Joyce...?

🌟

A fine reaction but you have not learned one of the lessons watching Buffy. After School Hard not much is random and if you think it’s random be prepared to be wrong. The episode can be forgotten but several points from the episode will be eventually critical and the reason for Superstar at episode 18 will make sense. Also there is a nod to the growing fan base from the Comic Con world with this episode. The Star Trek fiction fans would have recognized this episode has a parody of the Mary Sue trope that was happening in that world. I have been told by some of the very hard core Trekkies that this made them laugh harder than most episodes. Not being a Trekkie I did not know this until some years later. I appreciate your thoughts about what’s going to happen and why. Many Buffy fans forget what it was like on the first viewing. When we first saw these episodes, many of the same thoughts and conversations took place with us. You bring back memories ( almost all very good) and recalling how invested we were in the characters. Our confusion caused anxiety with concern. Any Buffy fan watching since Passion and Becoming understands that no one is really safe. Trying to figure out what was coming next was the way all of us acted.

Not really a spoiler, but Giles was double dipping, being paid as librarian and as watcher, he probably was able sock a lot of money away.

You understand he was sa

We could catch you up.... But you've seen everything 🤷

wdym jonathan's been here the whole time ....

19:29 ...Wait, the whole Jonathan thing wasn't real??? ... My life has been a lie!!!

Would just like to warn you to be carefull with dvd thumbnails when you arrive at season 6. Five is still ok, six has huge spoilers in those dvd covers

01:21 - 01:30 I must be the only one who _never cared_ or thought about Giles' job. I was 13 at the time,I didn't care at all for adults' jobs...I don't care _now_ that I'm 35 and I _have_ a job!! 01:31 - 01:37 No one did,sweety.💗Literally no one did.😅 02:37 - 02:43 3 excellent questions.🤭 06:21 - 06:40 😂😂Your confusion is adorable!💖 13:56 - 14:02 ❤🤍 14:03 - 14:06 Not Tara!🤍 17:56 - 17:57 I do. Don't take it personally,though,I hate *everyone* for shipping it!😡🤮 20:32 - 20:39 🖤 EDIT: I can't believe KZfaq lets me keep _this_ comment *BUT NOT THE ONE ABOUT"WHO ARE YOU?"!!!!!* 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬💢💢💢🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

you really gotta not watch the Previously on stuff. It spoils every surprise for the rest of the series.

i love watching these in 2x speed 😭

lol, normally I can handle it but the overthinking at the beginning had me saying "just watch the fucking show" haha.. It didn't seem like it was all that complicated, considering it's Buffy :P

The only moments I watch here are Buffy and Spike scenes. But you cut out part of it so it's almost nothing to watch for me. The rest I just don't care about. You will see it/you won't see it, nothing will change. I watched it once and forgot it. And it makes no difference.

Jonathan’s arc is…

This is my least favorite episode. Am I alone? 👀

Definitely not one of my favorite episodes.

I always skip this episode tbh, it pisses me off that we get this fillersode right after all that mess with Faith