Shippy Moment of the Day: "Let Me Worry About the Neediness" (Buffy)

Angel Visits Buffy at Her Mother's Grave
"Forever" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5

Recap: Buffy's mom has just died and been buried. She's inconsolable.

Note: This got really pic-spam-y, but I couldn't help it. I love them so much!

The Moment:

Angst Face! She's all alone.

And then...

He's always there for her.

Angel: I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner.

...Time Passes...

They're just so natural with each other. No inhibitions.

Buffy: The funeral was...It was brutal. But what I'm really worried about is tomorrow.
Angel: What's tomorrow?
Buffy: That's what I don't know. Up 'til now I've had a road map--things to do, every minute, that had to do with Mom.
Angel: And tomorrow the stuff of everyday living resumes.
Buffy: Which everybody expects me to know how to do because I'm so "strong."

Usually, I'm not a fan of Buffy!Angst. But in this moment, in these
episodes following Joyce's death, you just can't help but feel for Buffy.
She's 20 years old and has a teenage sister to take care of, not to mention
her day job of saving the world.

Angel: Not right away. I'm sure everybody understands that you need time.
Buffy: Time's not the issue. I can stick wood in vampires, but Mom was the strong one in real life. She always knew how to make things better, just what to say.
Angel: You'll find your way. I mean, not all at once but...

Buffy: I don't know. I keep thinking about it, Angel. When I found her. If I'd gotten there ten minutes earlier--
Angel: You said they told you it wouldn't have made a difference.

And then she shares with him what she can't share with anyone else.

Buffy: No. Probably wouldn't have made a difference. The exact thing they said was probably. I haven't told anyone that--
Angel: That doesn't make it your fault. You couldn't have done anything different.
Buffy: I didn't even start CPR until they told me to. I fell apart. That's how good I am at being a grown up.
Angel: Buffy--
Buffy: I would be okay if it was just me that I had to worry about. But Dawn...

Angel always knows what to say.

Angel: It's okay. It's okay. You don't feel like it now, but you are strong, Buffy. You're going to figure it out. And you have people to help you. You don't have to do this alone.
Buffy: It's going to be light soon.
Angel: I can stay in town as long as you want me.
Buffy: How's forever? Is forever good for you?

She makes an offer and, before she can take it off the table, he accepts it.

Buffy: That's a bad idea. I'm seriously needy right now.
Angel: Let me worry about the neediness. I can handle it.

And then...

And THEN...

Kiss!

Scratch that. Smoking hot making out!

And like every Bangel moment, it gets too hot too fast and they
have to pull back. It's crazy. They know how strong their feelings
are and they try to resist, but whenever they reunite, there is
almost always a kiss.

Buffy: Told you. You'd better go.
Angel: I'm sorry.

Buffy: Don't be. I'm so grateful you came, Angel. I didn't think I was going to make it through the night.
Angel: We have a few more minutes until I have to go.
Buffy: Good. Good.

And for the first time in the past two episodes, Buffy looks content.
Or, at least, she finally lets it all go, even for a moment.

LOVE THEM.

Thoughts:

I love this scene because it perfectly encapsulates the Buffy/Angel relationship. There's the support system, where Angel comes to Buffy in her time of need as soon as he can. There's the trust, where Buffy can tell Angel things she can't tell anyone else (I'm still pissed that we never got to see their scene together after she came back from the dead the second time). There's the slight delusion, where they think they're stronger than their feelings. There's the passion. And, finally, there's the love, where they don't even have to talk or be passionate. They can just be together and, in doing so, leave the outside world.

I love that this scene exists. I think it would have been easy to have Buffy never refer to Angel again once he left for his spin-off. But, instead, we get a great sense of continuity where the writers honor the characters and what they would do, logistics be damned.

Also, this is further proof that we don't need MOMENTS! We just need two characters who care deeply about each other, left to their own devices. And beautiful, heart-wrenching shippy-ness happens.

Shippy Moment of the Day: "It's Beer, Isn't It?" (Stargate: SG-1)

Sam and Jack Discuss His World-Famous Omelet
"Citizen Joe" from Stargate: SG-1 Season 8

Recap: It's the opening moment of the episode. So all you need to know is that Sam + Jack = OTP. ;)

The Shippy Moment:

I, too, like to kick my doors closed. But I think it's because

I have anger issues, not because my hands are too full.

Sam (on the phone): How about Monday morning?
Jack (on the phone): No, I have a thing with someone from the CIA. A Johnson someone or other. It's about the whole Kinsey thing.
Sam: So, any big plans for the weekend?
Jack: Oh yeah. Big. Huge!

I love how girly Sam looks here. Straight out of that phone song from Bye Bye Birdie.

Sam: Yeah, me neither.
Jack: Oh, what are you talkin' about? I just walked in with a whole handful of ingredients for my world-famous omelet.
Sam: World-famous, huh? What's in it?

Beer.

Jack: Eggs.
Sam: I don't think that that actually qualifies as a recipe.
Jack: Oh, don't kid yourself. There's a secret ingredient. I can't tell you what it is, or I'd have to shoot you.

She has that "I know your weirdness so well I don't have to guess" look.

Sam: It's beer, isn't it?
Jack: Carter--

HOMER!!!!

Jack: Let me call you back.

I love her smile here. So smug. But shouldn't they have a "I'm in trouble!" code word or something?

Sam: I knew it!

Thoughts: I could pick from a gazillion wonderfully shippy moments for my first Sam/Jack post, but I just adore this one. It's not overtly romantic. In fact, it's not romantic at all. Sam is engaged, for crying out loud! But what I love about this moment (it's one of my favorites, after all), is that it's just perfectly simple and real. A lot of the Sam/Jack moments over the course of the series have been MOMENTS! where Sam and Jack have to deal with FEELINGS! and REGULATIONS! Which is all fine and angsty and good, but I always had that nagging voice wondering that if they actually did get together if they would even work. Because, let's face it, most relationships have to survive the day-to-day to last, not just the MOMENTS!

It's one thing to flirt in the workplace. It's another to have to depend on each other in a military setting. It's quite another altogether to actually be in a relationship. And this moment is one that assures me that Sam and Jack could be in a relationship and that they aren't just UST.

I love how she knows him so well that she realizes what his secret ingredient is. I love how they're obviously skirting around the idea of getting together to do something (God knows what) that weekend. I love how Sam is calling him from a phone in the hallway, meaning that she called him (and we all know how Sam never takes the first step easily, so she must really want to talk to him). I love how they playfully tease each other. It's practically a perfect moment except for

a) the introduction of Kerry Johnson, Jack's future girlfriend and
b) the arrival of Homer Simpson trying to kill Jack.

You know what? Scratch that. b) is also pretty awesome.

Shippy Moment of the Day: "You Always Seemed to Me Like a Part of Myself" (The Perilous Gard)

Christopher Explains His Feelings for Katherine
The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope

The book is based on the folk legend of Tam Lin.

I thought about going angsty because we've had so much cuteness, but it's Valentine's day, so I figured we need some happiness.

This is one of my favorite books. In middle school we had to do these reading buddy assignments and my best friend and I picked this book to read. (Well, first we accidentally picked a book about a Native American girl who got raped, but we quickly switched gears.)

Recap: Katherine Sutton has been sent to Elvenwood under the care of Geoffery Heron, whose daughter has gone missing. His brother, Christopher, blaming himself for his niece's capture, makes a deal with the local Fairy Folk, taking the girl's place in their All Hallow's Eve celebration where he will be sacrificed. Kate observes this exchange so she is sent to be a servant to the Fairy Folk, where she sneaks out at night to talk to Christopher, who is locked up, eventually falling in love with him. She saves him from being sacrificed but, upon waking after the event, finds Christopher gone. When Christopher returns with Kate's beautiful sister in tow, Kate is convinced that he has fallen in love with her sister. Christopher, however, has other plans and announces to Kate that he has, instead, asked her father's permission to marry Kate herself. Despite this, Kate is reluctant to believe that Christopher is really in love with her.

The Shippy Moment:

"There aren't any right words. You don't even love me. You know you don't. They asked you on All Hallows' Eve if there was a woman you loved, and you said there wasn't."

"I've never thought of it like that," said Christopher. "How could I? If you were any other woman, I could tell you I loved you, easily enough, but not you--because you've always seemed to me like a part of myself, and it would be like saying I loved my own eyes or my own mind. But have you ever thought of what it would be to have to live without your mind or your eyes, Kate? To be mad? Or blind?" His voice shook. "I can't talk about it. Thats the way I feel."

Thoughts:

So, it may be a bit archaic. I mean, a man no longer asks a woman's father for her hand before asking the woman herself. But it just leads to this beautiful moment where Christopher is completely honest. While I think it's rare that people find the "you complete me" sort of love, I do like to think it exists. I think that people love in different ways and express it in different ways and this passage perfectly exemplifies that. Whenever I need a good pick-me-up, I like to re-read this entire scene. It just makes me happy. And on that note,

Happy Valentine's Day!

Shippy Moment of the Day: "I Can't Lose You" (Smallville)

Chloe Fights to Save Her Memory of Clark
"Abyss" from Smallville Season 8

Recap: Chloe's memories are being erased by Brainiac. We just viewed the CUTEST scene, where Chloe remembers her first kiss with Clark. All of a sudden the lights change and items begin disappearing from her memory.

Tiny!Chloe's "Oh Shit!" Face.

Chloe: Oh, no. It's happening again.

Tiny!Handholding!

Chloe: I have to get you out of here and into another memory!

I like how hard they tried to make Chloe's hair like it was

it whatever episode it was supposed to be. Also, I still
have so much love for that jacket. Love the color. Superfab.

Chloe: Dark Thursday.

Clark: Chloe!

Chloe: Clark!

Unfortunately, Clark's wardrobe is exactly the same as it always is.

Clark: What's happening? All the streetlights are out.

Chloe: Come with me!

Chloe is freaking the hell out. There's so
much desperation. She needs Clark.

Chloe: I can't lose you, Clark.

He's so sincere. Obviously Memory!Clark thinks Chloe's on crack,
but he still cares so much about her that, craziness aside,
he comforts and reassures her with the one truth
that all Chlarkers know to be true:

Clark: Chloe, I'll never leave you.

Falling down a black hole in Chloe's memory = as close to flying as Clark will ever get.

Chloe: Clark!

AM!Chloe's "Oh Shit!" Face.

Thoughts:

For a season full of anti-Chlark moments (the crapping on the "Fever" letter, the atrocity that was "Commited"), "Abyss" just reiterates how incredibly, irreplacably important Clark is to Chloe. We see Chloe beginning to forget Jimmy in the opening of this episode and, while she's freaked, she doesn't even try to save his memory. With Clark, she's desperate. She needs to save him. She can't forget him.

It's not that she values him as a friend/possible romantic interest, which is heavily evident through this scene. I would argue that her memories of Clark are part of what defines who Chloe has become. Clark has strengthened her, encouraged her, and helped define her priorities. Her desire to find out his secret and her subsequent character arc with Lionel taught her what it means not just to be an upstanding journalist, but an upstanding person. Without Clark, she is reduced to a clingy, frantic mess. Admittedly, if you only remembered one person, you'd probably react in a similar manner. But the way Chloe holds onto Davis without thinking about any other options? Is completely different than how our intrepid reporter reacts. She's usually strong and stalwart when faced with a challenge but without her memories (and, I would argue, her memories of Clark in particular), she is no longer as independent and able.

Plus, we got lots of intermittent shots of the BEST. KISS. EVER.

Shippy Moment of the Day: Clark and Chloe's First Kiss (Smallville) - Part 2

Clark and Chloe's First Kiss (Part Two)
"Abyss" from Smallville Season 8

Recap: Brainiac is slowly taking over Chloe's body, stripping her of all of her memories. Jimmy (the dumbass) takes her to the hospital for an MRI.

Warning: I may overuse the word "cute" in this entry. But OMG! SOOOOO CUTE!

MRIs are scary, man.

Chloe: Got any advice for an MRI rookie?

Technician: It won't take long. Your best bet --just close your eyes and think of a place that makes you happy. All right.

Her happy place.

Her happy, sexual-tension-y place.

Her happy, sexual-tension-y, beautiful, wonderful, perfect place.

Tiny!Chloe! Tiny!Clark! I want to gobble them up! They're SOOO cute!

Chloe: Wow. Sweet setup, Clark. Spend your nights spying on any unsuspecting neighbors?

I love the call-back to Clark being a stalking creeper.

Clark: No, I like looking at the stars.

Chloe: I guess you truly are a gentleman farmer. Emerson and Thoreau have nothing on you. I spend way too much of my time reading.

Clark: Actually, I love reading. I don't have that much time to make a lot of friends. My dad keeps me pretty busy with chores.

Sad!Chloe can relate to not having friends. BTW, where's Pete?

Chloe: My mom left me when I was really young. After that I was afraid to make friends because I just thought they'd all end up leaving, too. So I buried my nose in books. Although, I think I lost one of my favorites when we moved -- "Tales of the Weird & Unexplained." Something tells me I won't find much of the weird or unexplained here, in Norman Rockwell's neighborhood.

Unlike Lois' annoying Gilmore-isms, I love Chloe's pop culture refs.

Clark: Smallville's more than just dairy cows. We have a pretty good public library.

Somehow, Clark went to the library, found the book, checked it out,
and got back to the loft in five seconds. I'm finding this a little improbable,
but the gesture was so cute that I can't help but forgive the fact that Clark
obviously stole the book from the library.

Chloe, lacking her later journalistic instincts, also ignores the obvious...

...because Clark is just THAT cute. *squish those cheeks!*

Clark: What was that for?

ADORABLE smile! He's totally into her!

And then Chloe does what she always does...

Chloe: I know you've been thinking about it all day. So I figured we'd just get it out of the way and be friends.

Thoughts:

Oh, Chloe. It's like you're allergic to making yourself happy. Whenever she has a chance with Clark ("Heat" or "Zod" anyone?) she blows it because she shrugs off her feelings and puts up that shield. What's nice about this scene is that they address that and her reluctance to attach to people. She's afraid that people will leave and rightly so (unlike Lana whose parents DIED BY A METEOR AND DIDN'T LEAVE YOU).

There's already such an ease in the relationship between Clark and Chloe. You get how both parts of the Chloe/Clark relationship develop in this scene. First, you get the playful teasing. And then, and most importantly, you see how their support system forms. She's sharing an incredibly personal moment and is desperately in need of some support. And Clark goes above and beyond by getting her favorite book from the library for her.

The one thing that I love the most about this scene is that it really gives Chloe a reason to kiss him. It's not just that she was attracted to his adorableness. She's attracted to his heart and (since she doesn't know he super-sped to the library) because she thinks that he checks out the same books as she does. The fact that they bond over reading is the absolute cuteness.

Tiny!Clark doesn't quite have the emotional range of TW!Clark, but it's clear that he's flattered and pleased and amused by Chloe and her kiss, as evidenced by TW!Clark's reaction in "Obscura." Overall, I was incredibly touched by this scene and felt it was a great flashback that really did justice to Clark's memory.

Tomorrow's Shippy Moment: We continue the "Abyss" memory to its Eternal Sunshine moment.

Spoiler Snark: Gossip Girl, Greek, and Smallville

Where I will snark about spoilers. (Boy, I'm being adventurous with my newfound blogging love.)

In this outing: Who’s hooking up on Gossip Girl? Who’s deactivating on Greek? And who’s Smallville’s latest superhero?

Gossip Girl

As Watch with Kristin reported, Nate and Blair are officially ON.

To quote Kristin’s insider: "Blair and Nate are both at a crossroads. Blair has to accept she isn't going to Yale. Nate is being sucked into his family's expectations, and they are both there for each other and enjoy the familiarity. At first it's platonic, but, of course, that doesn't last long."

And, despite my loyal Chair/Bluck love, I am super-excited about this development. I know, I’m in the minority. But let’s think about how this is good for the show:

1. Nate hooking up with Blair totally shows Chuck what he’s lost and hopefully will give him a good kick in the rear to get his priorities in order.

2. Nate will finally be back in the central plot where he belongs. While I do love the Nate/Vanessa cuteness, Nate is not a B-plot character. And I’m excited to actually have Chace Crawford’s man-bangs cross my TV screen for more than three minutes a week, if even.

3. It will heat up a Nate/Chuck rivalry, meaning they'll actually have screentime together. Does anyone else miss season one Nate and Chuck when they smoked pot in Central Park and were just effortlessly cool and bromantic? Or when they fought over Blair and it was so effing amazing that you were angry that Nate gave up too easily? Yeah. I miss my Nate/Chuck interaction of any type and a Nate/Blair/Chuck love triangle works well to help re-establish their on-screen chemistry.

4. Anything that takes away from the Dan/Serena “we’ve broken up three times and still haven’t learned our lesson” drama is more than welcome in my book.

Plus, we all know that Blair and Chuck are endgame. So I don’t mind our Queen B getting some hot biceped action in the meantime. (And how romantic/gorgeous/exhilarating is that kissing-in-the-snow photo?)

P.S. If Blair’s not going to Yale, where IS she going? If everyone ends up at Columbia, I’m going to be so underwhelmed.

Greek

Two pieces of news:

From Watch with Kristin

“Max has given up grad school for Casey, which he'll make a point of a lot, but when he goes out of town for a month, look for Cappie and Casey to get into some trouble.”

No! Not my beloved Max! Seriously. I’m Cappie-ed out. I realize that he’s the charming slacker that we should all root for Logan Echolls-style, but Max is so wonderfully cute and smart and generous of spirit. I avoided falling in love with Max because I knew that I’d get my heart broken since Cappie/Casey is obviously what the writers and fans want, but he’s irresistibly a-dork-able. Stupid Casey. Maybe Max can get together with Ashleigh?

From Ask Ausiello

“Sources confirm to me exclusively that ding, dong the witch is dead. The witch in this case being Zeta Beta beeyatch Frannie, played with wicked zeal by Tiffany Dupont.”

This actually is freaking me out a bit. Without Frannie to act as the Big Bad, the show just makes Rebecca and Evan do unbelievably stupid stuff. Frannie is the go-to bitch character. I don’t care about her character’s redemption, unlike Rebecca’s and Evan’s. I’m really afraid that without Frannie that Evan will fully embrace the dark side that he has been wading in all of last season or that Rebecca and Casey will finally start an all-out war.

Smallville

Can't. Look. Away. From. Photoshopped. Chest.

From Ask Ausiello
“Anywhoo, by now you probably know that episode 19 finds Lois concocting her very own superhero alter ego, Stiletto, in an effort to smoke out the Red Blue-Blur. (She attacks bad guys with her pointy heels. Get it?) Well, what you may not know is that in that same episode, Chloe willingly begins harboring a fugitive whose name rhymes with Broomsday. (Second hint: He turned her wedding day into a low-budget Cloverfield.) And being the dutiful hostess that she is, she even throws in free meals. Wait 'till you see what, er, who she serves for dinner on Day One.”

Yes, ladies and gents. You read right. Lois Lane becomes a superhero named STILETTO. Like the shoes that you wear to your sorority’s formal before tossing them off because you can’t dance to K-Clarkson’s new single in them. I know I’m probably the only one still watching this show, but come on! Superman should not be about Lois Lane’s fetish for spiky footwear inspiring her to be a superhero.

Also, why is Chloe harboring Doomsday/Davis? Remember how he trashed your wedding? And do I really have to watch Chloe serve him people ala Little Shop of Horrors? I thought old school reporter Chloe would return once Brainiac was extracted from her, but it just seems like the writers want Chloe to just be the most nonsensical character on the already ridiculous show.

LET CHLOE BE HAPPY, TPTB! She deserves it after all the crap you've put her through!

Shippy Moment of the Day: Clark and Chloe's First Kiss (Smallville)

Okay. I've been super-lame about updating. Which is completely my fault. Well, half my fault. My fault for overloading and stage managing three shows back-to-back (with the fourth yet to come). And then Smallville's fault for sucking so hardcore. (Except for "Legion," which was, in a word, amazing. But I'll get to that in an upcoming recap.)

So, in an effort to get my blogging back on track, I'm starting a "Shippy Moment of the Day" feature where I wax poetic about some of my favorite couples and their best moments. These can be happy, sexy, or angsty, but they're all moments that I personally love as a viewer and a fan of these couples.

Our first pick for Shippy Moment of the Day:

Clark and Chloe's First Kiss (Part One)
"Obscura" from Smallville, Season 1

To recap for those of you who don't watch Smallville or haven't seen season one since it aired eight years ago...

Chloe has been kidnapped. Clark freaks the hell out and realizes how much Chloe means to him. In his freak-out, he tells Lana (his "true wuv") about his first kiss.

Look how sad he is! He misses her soooo much!

Clark: I keep wishing Chloe would just walk up those steps. I never appreciated how much she meant to me till now. The thought of never seeing her again…

Lana's so pretty. Even if she is cray-cray.

Lana: Clark. You can't think that way.

There's this moment of silent angst. And then all of a sudden Clark
gets this beautiful, private smile and he can't help but share the memory
with Lana with no reservations.

Clark: You know, I remember the first time I met her. It was eighth grade. She'd just transferred from Metropolis and I was assigned to show her around. The first thing she wanted to know was where she could buy a copy of the Planet so she could keep in touch with civilisation. When she found out I lived on a farm, she insisted I invite her over to experience it firsthand. Think she thought I was Amish. When I brought her up here … she just kissed me, right out of the blue.

Happy Clark!

Lana: Why did she do that?

So happy! Dorkishly happy!

Clark: She said I know you've been thinking about that all day, so I figured we'd get it out of the way and be friends. It was my first kiss.

I love his realization here. Like he didn't even understand
how important it was that Chloe was his first kiss until that
very moment. Like it didn't seem unusual or significant until
he truly understood how important she is to him.

Lana: It's nice it was with someone you still care about.

Jealous!

And then it finally occurs to Clark that he has a crush on Lana.
After gushing about Chloe without hesitation. Chloe elicits a smile.
Lana, self-consciousness.

What I love about this moment is that it's all about Chloe. Clark has been angsting over Lana for the entire season and this is the first moment where we get the sense that if Clark let himself, he could really fall in love with Chloe and pick her over Lana. Here's Lana, the object of his affection, sitting next to him and he can't stop talking about the girl who's not there. He's not doing it because he wants to make Lana jealous or simply because he's concerned as a friend for Chloe. He brings up a very personal, very romantic memory from his time with Chloe and shares it with Lana. He's so wrapped up in the moment that he doesn't even seem to remember that he likes Lana until the end when he looks away. He picks Chloe over Lana for the briefest moment and he is truly, sincerely happy.

I just love how Tom Welling played this entire scene. It's not sappy. It could have been sappy and angsty, but instead it is perfectly lovely and beautiful and sweet. You can totally see Tom imagining the event before his eyes and drawing real pleasure from it.

Not to excessively foreshadow, but tomorrow's post will be about the Chlark kiss from Chloe's perspective as shown in "Abyss." Yay for underage cuteness! (Which, of course, is supposed to take place a year before this episode...and yet the kids look so much more age-appropriate. Oh, WB/CW and your Dawson casting!)