Still Slaying: a Buffy-verse podcast

“Lesson the second... Ask the right questions. You wanna know how I beat 'em...? The question isn't how'd I win. The question is, why'd they lose?”

Penny, Kara, and special returning guest Dodie celebrate this Spike backstory episode and meander through related topics like Election drama in 2000, vampires who can eat food and those who can’t, consent, bullies, the appeal of bad boys, per...

Content Warning - discussion of domestic/child abuse

“Thank you for coming. We value your patronage.”

Penny, Kara and returning guest Dina delight in the Tara backstory. True to form, the trio find many opportunities for tangents, including voting, representation, kittens, the patriarchy, shame, homophobia, chosen family, feeling useful, “Little Women,” Massachusetts tourist attractions, favorite villains, a...

“How many warriors slated for the coming apocalypse do you think are gonna be using that hair gel? Don't get me wrong. You're out there, fighting ultimate evil; you're going to want something with hold.”

Penny and Kara accompany Wesley on his undercover mission while Angel is consulting with the T-ish Magev and talk through the various guises in play. Along they way they veer off into a myriad of subjects, including cel...

“And feel free to tell me if this next bit gets a little too personal, because I've been told I've got *boundary issues!*”

Penny and Becky revel in the many revealing revelations in this episode, and find tangents along the way including the Kennedys, sibling shenanigans, favorite villains, Ted Lasso, and Wicker memes.  

Next time we’ll go undercover with Wesley for Angel Season 2, Episode 6, “Guis...

“You see, no matter how good a boy you are, God doesn't want you! But I still do.”

Things are really heating up on Angel and the Scooby Duo are on the case. Penny and Kara talk through the trap set by Darla with Wolfram & Hart, Kate’s disregard for the 4th Amendment, and the existence of the human soul. The conversation includes diversions about what type of vampire they each would choose to become, Oedipus Re...

“Buffy, Buffy, Buffy! Everywhere I turn, she's there. That nasty little face, that fancy shampoo-commercial hair! That whole sodding holier-than-thou attitude!”

Penny and Kara (with occasional commentary from Pixel the pod-cat) find a lot of tangents along the path to discussing this episode focused on Riley’s identity crisis, touching on topics like House of the Dragon, medical malpractice, finding purpose in lif...

CW: Discussion of grooming, childhood sexual abuse, and trauma. 

“I'm still dealin' with this man's ugly ass living room set. Some people just shouldn't have money.”

Penny and Kara find a way to laugh while discussing this dark episode that deals with childhood sexual abuse. The conversation winds around and touches on vintage technology, Starbucks coffee, unpaid internships, college admissions, interior design cho...

“So you bought the Magic Shop, and you were attacked before it opened. Who's up for a swingin' chorus of the "We Told You So" symphony?”

Penny and Kara welcome guest host Anwen to talk about this Xander-centric episode, diving into the turn of the millennium history, twins, Sweet Valley High, yin-yang, Severance, imposter syndrome, realizations of mortality, The Vampire Lestat, Star Trek, modern romance, and The Boys.&n...

“Oh, this isn't mere dust. This is 'son of dust'. This is the kind of dust that spawns countless generations of little baby dust.”

Kara and Penny agree, parts of this episode didn’t age well, but it still slays otherwise, and they get into all manner of topics, like billionaires, racial stereotypes, parties, Cordelia’s first aid skills, bullies, monster design, metal car keys, convertibles, gendered baby clo...

“Which begs the question, what kind of an unholy creature fancies cheap tasteless statuary?”

Penny and Kara get real about the two party political system, Gilmore Girls, voice over, sibling shenanigans, representation, board games, the cost of living, hoop earrings, Y2K decor, potato chips, laugh tracks, and The Vampire Lestat.

Next time, we’ll be covering Angel, season 2, episode 3, “First Impressions.&rdqu...

“Yep. It's not that vampires don't photograph, it's just that they don't photograph well.”

Penny, Becky and Kara enjoy a trip to 1952 to experience some grade A paranoia in an overtly political episode with a film noir flashback. The conversation ranges from HUAC to iMac laptops and tangents include transparent Y2K tech, inflatable furniture, retro fashion trends, shame, Community, Film Noir tropes, femmes fatale, earwo...

NOTE: We had technical difficulties recording this episode.  You may hear glitches in the sound. 

“I'm standing right here!”

Penny welcomes Mark back to the ‘Cast and the two dig into the season opener and its visiting icon. The two talk comparative Draculas, fashion as character, hair aspirations, prestige TV and episode count, callbacks to Season 4, Blade, Howard the Duck, the MCU, side characters&rsqu...

“Angel, it's been a long time. I'd love to see that boy.”

Penny and Becky dive into the Angel season two opener, reveling in the new characters and broader world building and finding plenty of tangents along the way, like pay phones in movies, music licensing, karaoke, the Mos Eisley spaceport cantina, CD jewel cases, jousting, and records keeping for demon hunters.    

Next time we’ll tackle B...

“The world you live in is just a sugar-coated topping! There is another world beneath it: the real world. And if you wanna survive it, you better learn to PULL THE TRIGGER!”

Note: For this R-Rated film, we’ve suspended our no swears policy. 

Penny is joined by Jason and Renaldy to dive into the iconic vampire movie, “Blade.” The group has so much fun talking through vampire society and politics, W...

“Don’t believe everything you’re foretold.”

Penny, Sam and Kara come together to talk about what’s in the box. Along the way, they veer into some great tangents, including Djo, Y2K makeup and fashion trends, To Live and Die in L.A., Doctor Who, Edna Mode and the impracticality of capes, Afroman, CPTSD, queer subtext, Buffyverse alums who appear on Supernatural, bystander effect, the Universal Signal fo...

“Evil white folks really do have a Mecca.”

Penny and Sam have a lot of laughs digging into this Lindsey-focused episode about the struggle between morals and the pursuit of power. Along the way, the conversation ranges through computer tropes on tv, grooming, evil Sheldon Cooper, scarcity mind set, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, redemption versus escape, law firm culture, career tracks, Andor, and heist tropes. ...

“I don't need advice from some middle-class white dude that's dead!”

The Scooby Duo revel in the reveal of Gunn, and the conversation includes stubborn refusal to adopt new technologies, adults cast as teens, Percy Jackson, Los Angeles neighborhoods, conflict styles, wealth inequality, coffee trends, character resurrections, and the Satanic Panic of the 80s. 

Next time, we’ll be covering Angel season 1, episo...

“You’re not the source of me.”

It’s full spoilers for most of the episode and Penny, Kara and Becky pick apart the interrelated dream sequences of the Scooby Gang. Insecurities are explored, future events are foreshadowed, and there’s lots of cheese. The wide-ranging topics include parenting styles, unrealistic beauty standards, Moira Rose/Catherine O’Hara, Joshua Tree National Park, pillow forts...

“Xander, just because this is never gonna work there’s no need to be negative.”

Penny and Sam dive into this plot and action heavy episode that wraps up most of Season 4’s stories. The conversation ranges from sadly relevant world events from the turn of the millennium, to sarcasm, favorite words, fascism, Andor, the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Privacy Laws, the outrageous cost of hig...